


Light the Forge

by ShadowCr0w



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Ersa and Aloy beat up a machine for its shards, Fluff, Gen, Hawk and Thrush lets GO, In this house we ignore canon death and dunk on Dervahl, Into the Frozen Wilds, Swearing, mittens the sawtooth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 23,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29365950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowCr0w/pseuds/ShadowCr0w
Summary: Aloy's first time outside of the Sacred Land, leaving the arms of the Embrace and all that Rost taught her meant that she was bound to wander even if her mission to find Olin was a priority. She couldn't help that everything was so new and so fascinating...Even when she stumbled into a camp full of what looked like Oseram experimenting on machines and came across a mostly deafened, half alive but definitely still hanging on Ersa, Captain of the Vanguard of Meridian and Erend's sister, who he said he'd introduce her to if she ever made her way to the Carja holy city...No way she could leave her there to die.
Relationships: Aloy & Ersa (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Aloy & Talanah Khane Padish
Comments: 34
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A collection for my Ersa lives au snippets!

Despite the ringing in her ears and the general aches and pains blistering at her entire body, Ersa would say she felt... alright. That would also depend on what someone’s definition of alright was, to anyone else but an Oseram, they’d say she looked like shit and well, that was probably wrong too because she really, genuinely did feel like she was beaten to hell and back.

She never did let her guard down, there was someone pattering about around her and whoever they were were a damn bit better than Dervahl’s men. They had gentle hands, firm and strong too which told her they were a hunter, someone who’s known work but they were honestly a breath of fresh air after all _that_. Still, no matter how kind they were, Ersa waited in anticipation of the day she’d get the damn bandage off from around her eyes to be able to see who her “saviour” was and she desperately hoped it was someone that she recognized.

After a while, the ringing naturally eased up and Ersa was relishing in being able to hear sounds again. Even the small hums from her companion were nice that she could catalogue them and appreciate that apparently a woman kicked the asses of all the people and machines in the Oseram camp. It probably meant Dervahl would be moving on Meridian sooner than she had hoped and by the forge, she hoped they were prepared for it, she couldn’t stand to lose her brother and people she called her friends nor the entire city she helped.

“I know you can hear me now.” The voice was surprisingly soft, another pleasant noise for her to file away. “I don’t think you’re gonna be moving anytime soon but at least you’ll be able to eat.”

“Oh? Not gonna poison me are you?” Ersa asked dryly even as her stomach roared from how hungry she was.

“If I did, you’d be the last to know about it.” The answer came _just_ as sarcastically and then a warm bowl of... something was placed in her lap. “I can’t take off the bandages on your face yet, you still look like someone used you as a punching bag and the compress helps.”

Ersa snorted, she could tell whoever this woman was that this was going to be the start of a fantastic friendship. “Fine, fine, I see your point.”

“Are you sure?” That got another laugh then a wheeze from her when her lungs protested their sudden use.

“Alright smartass, do I at least get your damn name?”

There was a little bit of hesitation, which was understandable, it was always a risk telling a random stranger your name but Ersa liked to think she wasn’t _that_ threatening, especially when she wasn’t in her armor with a giant maul on her person. Erend would say differently and her little brother wasn’t even here for this, thank whoever was out there for that.

“Aloy, er, machine hunter.”

“Yeah? Nice name, I’m Ersa.” A ball of confusion whorled up in her chest when she heard Aloy choke on her dinner and a violent coughing fit followed the sound. Whatever that was, she’d demand answers soon enough and find out if this Machine Hunter knew who she was and was, somehow, connected to any of this.

Soon, probably after she ate though.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Ersa woke up, she was feeling marginally better. Less like a barely heated up piece of steel and more human than before so she had that going for her at least. This time, the bandages around her face was removed and there was sunshine filtering in into the... cave? she’d found herself in with her rescuer, Aloy. Everything was so bright and blurry, her eyes needed time to readjust to everything again but the fact she could still was a miracle and hell, she even could see why the Carja worshipped the sun, a sight almost too beautiful to pass up.

“Here.” The sun was blocked out suddenly by a girl, a woman really. By the voice alone, Ersa connected that it was Aloy with the shock of fiery red hair that seemed to lick at the sides of her profile as if she had been blessed by the Forge itself. The sun only enhanced the visage, illuminating her hair and darkening her visage against Ersa’s already shitty vision. “Sorry about the sun, I can’t exactly yell at it to go away.”

“If you could, the Carja would be pissed.”

A small snort then a cool compress was pressed over her eyes, stunting her vision again but it helped to ease the throbbing that had started up. “I don’t think they’d take kindly to a random girl just yelling at their sun. But what about you?”

“You’d be some kind of Forge-Goddess if you got the damn light to dim.” She couldn’t help but flirt a little, not entirely meaning it because the girl was a bit young for her taste from her brief look at her. Ersa was excited at the prospect of getting better at least, the sooner she could get back to Meridian, the better. “How long do you think it’ll be til we can leave?”

Aloy hummed. “I’d wait to see if you can walk at all, it’s a long way to Meridian from here.”

“Where is _here_?”

“North of Pitchcliff, so not like you’re coming from the Banuk lands but too long for someone who almost broke her legs.” Aloy made sense. No use in trying to run before she could even fucking _crawl_ at this point, even if she was going a little stir crazy now that she was almost better and worried about what was happening in Meridian.

“Well, Ms. Machine Hunter, do you have any ideas for how to get me to somewhere?” She asked sarcastically, almost unnerved when there wasn’t any bickering coming immediately from her companion.

“I mean... how comfortable are you with machines?” That was a strange question. They were dangerous, of course, even if she could admire the inherent beauty of them, especially from a distance but overall, Ersa was fine with them and told Aloy as much. “You _could_ ride on one and I’ll lead it as close to Meridian as we can get...?”

Ersa almost swore out loud, something that would make even the filthiest of Oseram raise an eyebrow at her. No one in their right mind would ride a machine, no one could! How the hell could this girl do it then?

As she found out later when riding atop a charger, pretty damn easily if she did say so herself. Aloy shyly explained what made it possible and Ersa only found herself believing she’d been right when she thought that the redhead had been some kind of Forge blessed woman.


	3. Chapter 3

The stop in Pitchcliff was pleasant enough, the Oseram there had clearly heard of her and were pleased to see her stopping through with the woman who had helped save their asses from Glinthawks. When asked about it, Aloy told her it had all led back to the very same pain in the ass Dervahl that Ersa had told her about, the same man that had taken her for the explicit purpose of torturing her before she died.

Yeah, not a fun time at all and it showed via the grimace on her face. “We have to get to Meridian, when he finds out that I’m gone, he’s going to kill everyone there. He’s _dangerous_.” Ersa didn’t beg, she didn’t flinch or break even when it felt like she should have under his chains but with Aloy, she trusted this girl to be compassionate, to listen to her when she asked for her attention.

Aloy nodded. “I know.” was all she said, her bluntness another breath of fresh air for Ersa and she followed Aloy out of Pitchcliff. “I probably put him off by sabotaging his base but I don’t know how much of a breather we’ve got before he tries for Meridian.” She’d never even been to the capital of the Sundom, the only reason she seemed to be worried about it thus far was because it was driving Ersa up the wall to not to be able to help the city she liberated with her fellow men, women and the people she called family.

As they rode further down, Aloy’s keen eyes caught something close by with a frown and she tapped the little metal triangle on the side of her head. The line of her mouth only tugged further down before she looked over at Ersa from her perch on the back of the charger she was petting and alerted her there were bandits nearby.

“Shit, really? Free Heap’s near here, you don’t think...?” Now she was worried, they had to get to Meridian but there was no way she was just going to leave those tinkers and delvers to a fate of death by bandit clan. “Aloy, we’ve gotta help them.”

Luckily, Aloy seemed to agree and turned her own mount towards the small bustling settlement that was within their line of sight.

And almost right away, Petra Forgewoman started flirting with Aloy which made Ersa crack a grin so wide she almost split her lip back open at the burning flame that overtook the machine-hunter’s face. Of course, this being Aloy meant that she was snarking back as good as she got which only further delighted Petra in return and Ersa as well. Maybe it was a little unfair to the poor Nora girl but Ersa and Petra alike would stop if it made her too uncomfortable, but for now they get to have a little fun making Aloy turn so many different shades of red.

After that, it was back to business and the first time Ersa really saw Aloy in action. She didn’t get to go with her to the bandit camp, but after she came hauling ass back to tell Petra about the impending attack, she got to watch the young woman wield a canon with half the delicate balance that she usually had but it was three times as effective and made dealing with the bandits a piece of cake. Hell, she even let out a good old fashion Oseram cheer when Aloy fired into the bridge and brought it down on top of the last of the group.

It’d been so long since she had been able to deal with lowstakes things like a good old fashioned bandit raid that she was increasingly glad Aloy stumbled across Dervahl’s camp and took a chance on a battered and bruised woman. Things only got even more fun when they went after a couple who’d not come back from hunting a Behemoth convoy and she got to hear Aloy lose her temper on them, telling them the real reason the two of them had ended up in this predicament.

Heh, maybe with all that hot air she had, she very well could have a bit of Oseram in her. Ersa grinned from the rear of their group as Aloy stormed on ahead, two very sheepish hunters trailing behind her. Again, things could have ended a lot worse out of her kidnapping, for instance, she could be dead and definitely not have gotten to know a smartass Machine tamer with hair that rivaled any forge fire she’d ever seen.


	4. Chapter 4

When Ersa and Aloy said their goodbyes to Free Heap and returned to their path that would lead them back into the Sundom proper, closer and closer towards Meridian, they had no idea a message would show up the next day declaring that the Captain of the Vanguard, the Sun-King’s personal friend and one of the Liberators who took the Holy City away from the Mad King Jiran, had been killed in an attack. Everyone had been left thoroughly confused, hadn’t they just seen Ersa walk out, alive and whole?

Meanwhile, Ersa and Aloy kept their march on towards the next herd of machines they could find that would be suitable for transport. Ersa wasn’t afraid of machines, not more than most people at any rate, but now that she had someone who could control them, even if it was just certain ones under Aloy's sheepish admission. She had so many questions, how? Why? Where did she learn to control the machines?

She supposed the easiest to start with was, "Can you override that sawtooth?" She pointed at one nearby, solitary and not even really doing anything. It was likely guarding a nearby herd or convoy but right now, they couldn't see anything and Ersa had been _dying_ to touch one of the machines while it was intact and not beat to hell by hammers or used as a pincushion.

Aloy gave her a curious look before she shrugged and was gone almost faster than Ersa could blink. She was alone for several moments until she saw Aloy appear from a nearby cluster of red grass, her spear pressed to a spot on the underbelly of the sawtooth and almost like magic, some parts fell from the machine and thick blue tendrils overtook certain areas of it, signifying that Aloy's override was working.

She returned with the now placated sawtooth. "I don't know how I can control them, the Corruptors make them angry and attack everyone who isn't like them or even the killers from the Nora lands." Ersa was only half paying attention to Aloy as she explained her theory on _why_ she could control these things, instead her attention was fully focuse on the calm machine and her hands twitched by her sides.

She really wanted to pet it.

Would that be weird?

Maybe it would be but she REALLY wanted to touch it.

Ersa gave in to the temptation, touching the side of the machine's head and instead of suddenly reverting back to hostile, it seemed to... lean into her hand and a rumble emenated from somewhere deep within it's core. She knew the awe was showing on her face, finally she gets her hands on one of these beautifully made machines and it _likes_ her?

By the forge, if it was a dream, she was going to be pissed if someone woke her. Especially when she started scratching at the metal in earnest, getting a wide grin from Aloy and an even more intense rumble from the sawtooth.


	5. Chapter 5

The closer they got to Meridian, the more Ersa found herself getting nervous of all fucking things. There was the whole worry about Dervahl potentially already making his move to raze the city to the grounds and then it had been close to three weeks since her original escapade out to meet Dervahl and try to catch him in the middle of his trap. And then this insane redhead rescues her on accident, not knowing who she was or how she got there, pulls her out, nurses her back to some semblance of help before saying she’d been meaning to go to Meridian but got distracted by all the lands.

Ersa had to be the luckiest woman alive at this rate. Someone, somewhere decided a curious machine rider was the exact person she needed to pull her sorry slag out from that place. 

Plus, it helped that she reminded Ersa of herself. Strong, sarcastic, on a mission of her own but had a soft spot for those in need, they differed enough that it wasn’t like looking at herself but... She really did hope that they stayed friends after Aloy’s time traveling with her was done, it was nice to know another strong-willed woman who did no harm and took no shit all the while.

“You ready to see Erend?” Aloy asked casually while they were on their rides with the sawtooth still trailing amicably nearby.

“You know him?”

Aloy hesitated before nodding. “We met when he was guarding a Sun-Priest in the Sacred Lands. Calmed a crowd of angry Nora down like he was some kind of whisperer!” She snorted and Ersa felt a little swell of pride in her chest at hearing about her baby brother and his deed in another land. “He, uh, invited me to come to Meridian if I ever left, said he’d introduce me to his sister that he might have told me about?” Her voice tapered off at the end, a little strangled and oh.

Oh. She was going to kill him or thank him for his shitty attempt at picking up a woman. Kill him because that wasn’t a bright move on his part, flirting with a girl who’d never really been around people and thank him because if his big mouth hadn’t blabbed about her, then Aloy probably wouldn’t have been as kind to her as she has been.

Looking over at Aloy again, Ersa paused in her thinking. Maybe she would have, she did investigate Free Heap solely because she saw bandits nearby and was worried. She gave someone dying from their wounds the peace they needed by helping a settlement that meant nothing to her then got him laid to rest in the proper Oseram fashion. 

“That settles it, whatever happens after we get back to Meridian, I’m taking you out for a drink. I’m not letting you forget about me, little miss Forge Goddess.” She teased a blush out of Aloy who agreed to try whatever drink it was she was offering but lamented the nickname, asking why she couldn’t at least be called Flame-Hair. 

Definitely not a conventional start to a friendship, but Ersa was sure as hell looking forward to whatever happened next.


	6. Chapter 6

The two humans were bickering. They were talking about directions and best ways to go to avoid hostile machines and it didn’t understand, it could protect it’s friends just fine but it went where they did. One of them had very gentle hands and made it make strange noises when it was touched, something inside of it’s core directing it to make that rumble.

It was oddly pleasing. Even when it was given the designation “Mittens” due to its flaw in how it was painted, black paint covering its feet but the non-redheaded woman seemed to delight in it. “Designation: Ersa” it’s programming told it as her name.

Instead of waiting for them to finish arguing, Mittens decided that it would procure helpful scrap for them. It had witnessed them pulling parts from fallen machines that it had killed in their defense, they needed a fresh kill then to sustain them and it would be fulfilling its obligation to protect its “herd” and sustain them in their own missions.

After all, it was only protocol.

Trotting back with a watcher carcass was easy for it, given its other flaw of being smaller than the others produced in its manufacturing line, it still carried out its directive given to it by “Designation: Aloy” to help. Arriving back, the two women were still bickering and it made a low rumble noise, getting their attention before dropping the dead watcher at their feet, something akin to satisfaction making itself known within its programming.

A light touch on the top of its head from “Ersa” told Mittens that it did good and it resumed its patrol, guarding them while they stripped its kill for themselves.


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you ready?" Aloy asked after they'd made camp for the last night before the final push to Meridian. Once there, they would undoubtedly part ways as Aloy searched for more about Olin and her own personal mission, finally. She'd gotten too sidetracked and could have potentially missed him but that was... acceptable, she'd track him and the rest of the killers down no matter how far she had to go.

Justice delayed was still justice _served_.

Idly, she wondered what Rost would have thought, her leaving the Sacred Lands in pursuit of the people who killed him and many others during the proving. Would he be proud of her for "helping" the tribe? Would he admonish her for leaving when they "needed" her strength?

That made her grimace. They didn't need her, they made that clear from the moment she was born, they were just using her but if they wanted to play that, then she could too. She'd help those who'd been kind to her but that was _it_.

"I don't know really. The only way I'm gonna know for sure is to get there and to deal with the aftermath. I'm... worried more than scared. Worried Dervahl succeeded. Worried for my brother, he was ass drunk last I saw him." This time Ersa grimaced, leaning back into Mittens who had settled behind her with a soft-machine hum.

Aloy agreed. "I liked him, he was nice when we met. Ah, I think he hit on me? Is that just a typical Oseram thing?"

Ersa laughed at that, making Mittens humph and shift under her back before he resumed his scan of the horizon. "I'd say yes but I think he was actually trying to be smooth this time, you really are _something._ Its not just you risking your ass for most of them, though that certainly helps, every Oseram is attracted to forge fire, runs in our blood from birth. You spark hotter than even the greatest forges in the Claim and burn brighter, it certainly draws people in." It was the earnest tone of Ersa's words that made Aloy blush this time and she tried to hide it, turning towards the campfire and poking at it to keep herself busy.

"Ah... thank you." She couldn't deny she wasn't a little bit pleased at the genuine compliment. "Erend told me, back before the proving, that it would take more than a few Carja to hold you down. I see why he thinks so highly of you." That got a bright grin in return as Ersa let the compliment sink into her very being.

"I miss him, the little heap of scrap." He wasn't that much younger than her from what Aloy knew so it had to be a sibling thing, to mess with someone so close to you but with all the affection in the world. "Hey, how I about I tell you about that time we were playing as kids and he gave me a damn scar on my knee?"

Aloy grinned, that sounded like a good bed time story as anything and she settled down in her bedroll, listening to Ersa weave a fantastic story with more guts and glory than it had any right to hold but stuck very true to the Oseram style.

It was nice and it wasn't long until Aloy felt herself lulled to sleep, allowing herself to truly relax for the first night since the Massacre.


	8. Chapter 8

They had planned on there being a commotion for when two supposedly dead women were going to walk into Meridian, so what they did _not_ do was waltz in the front. Ersa and Aloy stashed Mittens somewhere where it could romp about and Ersa pulled up a hood on a cloak Aloy had lent her before they snuck in through the Royal Maizelands. If Dervahl someone hadn’t gotten wind of her survival, then this was going to be the best chance of drawing him out to Meridian proper and handling him there.

By all means, it shouldn’t have worked but with most of the guards at the front gates, the few soldiers didn’t seem to pay them much attention. They were assisting a few farmers with transporting goods up to the Mesa so that helped and Ersa idly wondered if this was also part of Aloy’s magic, going unnoticed exactly when it was convenient for her.

“I know a spot where Erend goes to drink. I’m going to wait in that alley over there, bring him over and just him, okay?” Ersa jerked her thumb over her shoulder, hiding her nerves well enough. She wasn’t nervous about seeing Erend, she was worried he wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut and he’d scream which was the opposite of being subtle. It would be worth it, they needed to get to Marad who would help hide Ersa and Aloy would go off to handle all the dramatic showmanship stuff that seemed to be fitting of her.

So, she waited. It was as quiet as she expected, no one passed through other than one pedestrian and she was ignored. Good, good, this was going to work out as according to plan which was a fucking miracle.

“I don’t understand, this is your first time here, how do you know a tiny back alleyway?” Erend’s voice was like music to her ears after being away so long, a little muted due to the trauma she’d sustained thanks to Dervahl’s toys but the point was she could still hear him and that was enough to make a few tears spring to her eyes.

No, no tears yet. She could rest easy after Meridian was safe and after Aloy said her goodbyes... which wasn’t comforting, she’d grown fond of the little spark.

“Well, you know how you said you’d introduce me to your sister? Er, how about we reverse that?” Really? _That_ awkward line was what Aloy was going with to break the news to her brother that she’d swooped in on stormbird wings and saved her ass from dying a painful, tonedeaf death?

And really, what did she expect? Ersa chuckled at that, stepping into the sun’s light from the shadows and dropping her hood to allow Erend to see her face in plain view for the first time since the night she left to go stop Dervahl’s trap and failing miserably.

The look on her brother’s face was priceless, wide eyes and slack jaw, dazed as if someone had sucker punched him and left him standing, barely holding himself together as he tried to process the fact that she was actually _there_. He reached out, touching her shoulder as if she weren’t real, as if he were hallucinating after having one too many drinks or having been struck by the fact that Aloy had already come back from the dead for him and now she was _here._

Predictably, he started crying when she confirmed it really was her and tried to suffocate her all over again by hugging her in his arms. Ersa smiled, relaxing a little more and hugging him just a fiercely back while Aloy gave them some privacy, watching over the entrances to the alleyway just in case someone tried to interrupt their reunion.

Laying down the plan was easy, Erend knew how to get them to Marad and Avad after everyone was gone, having had to drag his own ass back to the Palace many times while drunk and trying to avoid the nobles stink eye. Aloy had the full plans, she had raided Dervahl’s camp and his workshop, telling them of lures and blaze shipments, among other things that seemed almost impossible but she’d brought Ersa back from the dead, so the Sun-King and his right hand were eager to believe her.

Ersa would be lying if she said that she didn’t find Avad’s slight infatuation with Aloy humorous. The girl wouldn’t reciprocate his affections, she’d let him down gently of course and he’d apologize to Ersa after spilling his guts out to Aloy in remorse, but she understood. No one was unaffected by Aloy’s spark, the way she lit a wildfire in her wake was breathtaking and it took even the most unassuming by surprise.

Dervahl wasn’t going to know what hit him when the time came and for the first time since before, Ersa let a feral grin cross her face and hope bloom in her chest for the end to come.


	9. Chapter 9

Ersa was looked over by one of the royal healers after she had relayed her ordeal to Avad and was holed up in an inconspicuous house away from most of the hustle and bustle of the castle. It was decided, mainly by her own admission, that it’d be best until they brought Dervahl to justice and could ship him off to Mainspring where he could be dealt with by the Ealdormen. Didn’t mean she liked being put out of commission, but she could understand it.

It helped when Aloy stopped by after shooing Erend out to keep everything from becoming too suspicious. A “Nora savage” was far less interesting going into a house than it was for the Captain of the Vanguard to frequent a place he had never been seen before. Carja nobles and commoners were known to gossip, but this was their attempt at curbing what they could while it was still mostly unknown that she was alive.

“I can hear them talking. Sympathizing and getting angry about how Avad won’t do anything to investigate my murder.” Ersa said glumly, she knew it was for the best but she fucking hated being cooped up with no way to entertain herself.

Aloy was unpacking something from a burlap sack, not responding to Ersa’s moping, at least not before she gave her something to eat and a bottle of what _had_ to be genuine scrappersap. “I helped a couple with somethings, they gave me this to save for a rainy day but, I didn’t like it.” Aloy’s face screwed up and she passed over the bottle, cackling when Ersa took it greedily. “I figured you might want it.”

Ersa almost immediately took a hearty swig of the stuff, coughing as it burned her throat and made her eyes tear up. Aloy seemed concerned at her reaction but Ersa just smacked the bottle to the table, wheezing, “Damn! That is _good_. Who made that?”

Her mood lightened considerably when Aloy sat across from her, joining her for a quiet moment and telling her of Kendert and Gera from Hunter’s Gathering, the closest settlement to the Nora lands that held a mix of different people, whether they be Banuk, Carja, Oseram and even a few Nora. It was her first experience meeting new people really, outside of Erend, Olin and Irid at the Proving and this one had gone, better really. “But then there was that asshole at the Hunting Trials.” Aloy swore, growling at the thought of the Valleymeet grounds and the keeper who had tried to shoo her off like she was a child.

“Yeah, the Hunter’s Lodge isn’t great about women, let alone anyone not Carja Noble.” Ersa rolled her eyes, she’d met a few of them during her time in Meridian and there were several who were actually worth their weight in steel. There was one girl, not too much older than Aloy if she thought about it, who might make a fine friend for the redhead even.

What was her name? Ersa shrugged, if Aloy was as curious as she always was, then she’d find her way over there eventually and raise a little hell, maybe even shake the Lodge up for the better. Avad sure would appreciate having more competent people there with things that qualified them other than the circumstances of their birth.

Now that she was thinking about it, it was odd that Aloy was sitting around and bitching with her, they hadn’t seen too much of each other since she went to investigate Olin’s apartment and-

Oh.

“You’ve gotta leave?” Ersa interrupted Aloy softly, a small pang making itself known in her chest. They’d been through a lot together in the past... two weeks was it? Three? Something like that and she hated that she’d be gone soon.

Aloy grimaced. “Yes, I found what I needed from Olin’s apartment and Erend is going to be rallying the Vanguard in case Dervahl attacks while I’m not here. Er, your Sun-King asked me to keep an eye out for anything too in regards to his plans.” She looked a little uncomfortable at being dragged into this but Ersa knew there was a heart that burned brighter than the sun inside of that girl, she couldn’t turn down anyone in need if she tried.

It made her chuckle and warmed her from the inside out. “Of course, don’t be a stranger though, you hear me? You saved my ass from dying and you’re always, I mean it, always welcome here with me.” She reached across the small table and touched the back of Aloy’s hand, hoping her gesture conveyed every ounce of sincerity she wanted it to.

Aloy gave her a grin this time, turning her head to the side and contemplating Ersa for a long moment before surprising her by pulling her into an arm wrestling match. She promised she’d be back to visit, with new tales and new machine parts for her to see and well.

Well, that sounded like a damn fine way to end everything to her.


	10. Chapter 10

Ersa had heard rumors that Aloy was back in Meridian, mainly from the guards who tried to keep her from crawling up the walls with how bored she’d gotten since she couldn’t see Erend or Avad while the fiery girl was out saving the world. Not so idly, she hoped that Aloy would visit her with news, something new to try or hell, even just her company would be enough to keep her from losing her mind.

Except, all the idle chatter stopped from the Vanguard in her house to the tune of a loud explosion rocking the Mesa and almost deafening her from how loud it was. She felt it rattle her bones and shook her down to her core while an almost blind fear overtook her, was it Dervahl? It had to be, that lunatic would stop at nothing until he was either dead or Meridian was leveled to the ground.

Then, Erend ran in, covered in soot and babbling about the explosion, about Aloy and how he had to get to the palace but she had to stay put before darting off as fast as he could with one of the Vanguard that had been with her. Ersa knew it was for the-

Fuck that, the way he made it sound was as if Aloy was _dead_ and Ersa owed that girl damn near everything, like hell was she waiting for the right moment any longer. She was the Captain of the Vanguard, right hand to Sun-King Avad during the Liberation of Meridian from the Carja in the Shadow and she was sick of it, tired of waiting for others to do _her_ job. She owed it to Aloy, to herself.

With a grab for her cloak and the quiver of arrows, plus a spare bow Aloy had proudly presented her, she took off towards the Palace of the Sun with the last remaining guard falling in step with her.

When she got there, it was pandemonium. People she served with were fighting with some of Dervahl’s men while trying to curb property damage and she could hear that godawful shrieking, the same one that had almost turned the inside of her head into soup she’d been held captive. Fuck, where was Erend? If he was caught in that mess, then there was no one to do damage control, to try and get these assholes under control while they were rioting.

Except her, she’d have to ask for forgiveness later and hope for the best.

She pulled off a trick Aloy taught her, how to whistle so loudly that you could be heard from damn near a mile away and almost everyone in the vicinity turned towards her. It made her want to laugh, well shit where was that kind of attention during the Liberation and during her tenure as Captain? Ersa didn’t, instead she dropped her cloak and joined in the fray, the apparent sight of her sending a ripple through the steel of her fellow soldiers and the battle kicked back up.

The screeching of Glinthawks from the throne room had her bolting towards that area, fuck she hadn’t even heard the sonic device shut down. Quickly, she grabbed a warhammer from a fallen enemy and pushed forward without even looking back, trusting the guards to deal with whatever was leftover after her presence turned the tide of the battle.

Of course, meaning, she got there just as a familiar huntress with flaming hair took out the last of the machines and Ersa, being Ersa, swung the hammer over her head to get the last kill, cementing the attack over. Aloy grinned at her, breathless and a little chillburned but thank the fucking _forge_ she was alive, Ersa had been more worried than an old Carja housewife over the girl and made it known that Aloy scared the crap out of her by hugging her so hard she swore something popped in her back.

“Easy!” Aloy wheezed, pushing at her shoulders. “I’d say you should have stayed in hiding-” She continued when Ersa did pull back- “But we’ve got him. He’s up near the throne, wounded but alive. Turned on a lure for the glinthawks.” Then with a turn, she lead Ersa up to where Erend and Avad were hovering over Dervahl while some of the Carja guards set about stripping him of anything he could use against them.

Erend caught sight of her first, his hammer wavering a little as he contemplated bringing it down on Dervahl’s head but then an uncharacteristically vicious grin spread across his face. “I know what you’re scared of, going back to Mainspring in chains.”

Presumably Dervahl tried to say something but Erend’s clunky boot to his sternum shut him up long enough for him to continue, “Every clan in the Claim will be begging to have you, but first, someone’s got something to say to you.”

The look on the tinkerer’s face was worth every damn bit of struggle she’d been through when he looked up and saw Ersa’s booted heel flying towards his face with a, “You’re at the mercy of the Sun-King now.” before knocking him unconscious with a satisfied feeling roiling through her body.


	11. Chapter 11

After everything with Dervahl was settled, Ersa was, well, bored. She hadn’t gotten used to things being quieter after Aloy left again after saving all their asses, nor had Ersa eagerly stepped back into her position as Captain of the Vanguard. Avad, of course, the bleeding heart that he was, told her to come to him when she was good and ready to work out whatever she wanted to do.

Hence, the free time she had now. Ersa hadn’t figured out what she wanted to do and she certainly didn’t like being bored, _again_.

It did give her an idea though. Since she had to go straight into hiding when she came back to Meridian and with Aloy out saving the world while solving her own personal crisis, Ersa decided to don some armor, grab a warhammer and go find Mittens. She remembers telling it to stay near the city but stay low so it wouldn’t get attacked, only for it to make a whining noise and turning its head to the side at her like some scolded child.

Ersa would have felt bad had it not been for the greater good that was the sawtooth’s safety. On the bright side, should she find Mittens, then she could possibly make a trek up to Brightmarket, check on a few things there without having Erend and Avad worry _too_ much about what was happening.

It turns out, Mittens hadn’t moved an inch from where she’d left it and she approached carefully, just in case it had decided she was an enemy, ready to be chewed up and left for dead. “Mittens?” Ersa felt silly for _calling_ the sawtooth like it was a tame pet but it perked up at the sound of her voice, pouncing towards her and bunting her in the stomach with its eagerness.

Which. Of course. Knocked her flat on her ass which is a BAD situation to be in when there’s machines around but Mittens just seemed to want to... cuddle? That was weird. Ersa idly wondered what Aloy did to it to make it act more like a pet, rather than a deranged machine but as she scratched at the metal plating around its head, she found that she didn’t much care at the moment. Mittens was just rumbling away, leaning into her body with as much care as a small, but still giant, machine could.

Brightmarket wasn’t bad, it was a nice change of pace. People there recognized her enough to give her a wide berth or maybe it was because of the tame Sawtooth that she was leaning on for support. By the forge, she was out of it, weeks of recovery and machine riding then setbacks to help Aloy out hadn’t been kind to her and she could still feel small aches that threatened to set her back. Still, she was determined to do some trading, maybe even a little fishing if she could get a net to catch something.

She wandered past the docks and to the actual dirt not too far, sitting down with a small grunt and dipped her feet into the cool water. Mittens laid down beside her, a solid and quiet pillar now as it seemed to sense that she was sore from hiking and from all the action she’d faced in the past week from Dervahl and then the past two weeks of inactivity. “I don’t suppose _you_ know how to catch fish.” Ersa joked, patting Mittens head gently and it stared at her with its blue lights, calm and nonjudgemental. She chuckled, of course it didn’t but it was nice to try and keep some semblance of normal while people still figured out how to talk to her after something so traumatic.

That’s one reason it’d been so nice with Aloy, even when she figured out who she was, the huntress hadn’t treated her any differently. Logically, Ersa knew the extent of Aloy’s loneliness from her outcast upbringing mixed with small bits of what she’d been told so it made sense that out of everyone, she’d be the one to just treat her like she was a normal person.

“Fuck, never thought I’d miss someone like this.” She grumbled, hoping to have a visit from her friend sooner rather than later. Ersa had to tell her about Mittens attempting to take on a ravager on their way to Brightmarket and then how one of the Carja nobles _shrieked_ when she passed with it by her side.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, sweet and actually chipper, “Hey! Ersa! Mittens!” And oh yeah, this day had gotten even better as her favorite Nora huntress found her with a handkerchief full of what _had_ to be something to eat.

Maybe today hadn’t been such a complete waste afterall.


	12. Chapter 12

It was strange to go back to travelling alone after getting used to spending so much time with Ersa and then Mittens. Aloy would have a harder time adjusting if she hadn’t already spent so long alone without many people to rely on, but it was… nice to think that someone was waiting for her somewhere. After Rost died she… she never really figured she’d have friends or family who just wanted her around because of her.

Aloy hummed softly under her breath as she rode her overriden charger towards Free Heap, intending on stopping for some trade and even a conversation with Petra before making a dash over to Pitchcliff. The last time she’d been there had been when she was checking in on Marad’s operative who had gone silent while searching for what Dervahl meant to do next and then the time before that had been glinthawks.

“Why is it always glinthawks?” She grumbled to herself, getting a sort of snort out of her mount as if it understood her. After Mittens, she was almost certain they knew how to be sassy when they weren’t plagued by the Derangement spiking their aggressive behaviour. Whoever made them, whatever made them, obviously had a hand in that…

Was it Elisabet Sobeck? Aloy still didn’t know as much as she liked about the woman she resembled, Maker’s End had provided some answers but only stirred up a thousand more questions and Sylens wasn’t any help at all. Ersa had departed from her company before she’d set off on her own personal quest again so she hadn’t been able to tell her anything regarding him.

Aloy smiled a little. Family was something she was searching for, her mother, her connection to Elisabet and to this whole intertwining mess that never unraveled, only seemed to bunch up more into a ball that would never come free. And somehow, despite losing Rost, despite the Nora being, well, the Nora, she found someone who hadn’t asked more of her than she offered.

“Flame-Hair! Is that you?” She heard Petra’s voice, incredulous and relieved yell from the top of the battlements down at her after she ditched her Charger at the nearby campsite and walked the rest of the way. “I thought you were dead!”

Okay, wait _what_?

“ _What_?” She said as eloquently, pausing briefly at the gate to see a relieved Kaeluf close by and didn’t even flinch when he clapped her on the back in a hearty ‘welcome back’ manner.

Petra invited her up, explained that after she’d left that she had gotten word that Ersa had been assassinated and seeing as they’d been travelling together. “Thought someone had snuffed out your forge, what a shame it would have been to lose someone who sparks as bright as you.” It felt like flirting, Petra usually did that but it also felt… genuine.

“No, the last assassination attempt didn’t stick.” She said dryly, only getting more concern from the woman across from her. “And I’m sure things are… delayed between Meridian and here but no, Ersa’s fine. I found her before had gotten hurt worse and we took the long way back to try and avoid the man who was after her.”

Petra looked relieved. “Plus, you had to come and save our sorry asses, I know you Nora-girl, just can’t stay away from a lost cause.”

Aloy rolled her eyes at the whole sentence but it didn’t chafe at her like it normally would and probably will in the future. This was just Petra, someone like Ersa, a strong and independent woman who liked to flirt, drink and could kick some serious ass. “Please, you just needed me to do the hard work of clearing out a bandit camp and a scrapper den.”

Another grin. “And the behemoth cables as well as putting us out of our misery with the two idiots who didn’t know how to make anything, let alone a relationship.” Petra turned away from Aloy, seemingly uninterested in further conversation and the huntress took it as a sign that they were done but Petra reached out blindly and grabbed her wrist. “Oh no you don’t.” Aloy could _hear_ the smile as Petra spoke to her before the oseram straightened up with a new gadget in her hands.

“For me?”

“It’s supposed to explode a net over someone, sort of like your ropecaster and I need you to test it out and tell me everything that happens. Think you can handle?”

“Always can.”

“Ha! That-a girl. Now get out of here, you didn’t come up to waste time talking to a friend.”

Aloy put the net-bomb on her belt, still grinning and feeling lighter after the entire thing with Olin and Maker’s End and just, everything that had been weighing her down. Out of all the things she could have left Free Heap with, a lighter heart and an easier weight on her shoulders was definitely the top ranked one.

“No, but always a pleasure, Petra.”

Petra cackled, making another innuendo that sent Aloy running down the stairs, fire in her step and her face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pffft this got a little cracky at the end but this was a request from my friend, hope you like it!

Ersa waited as Aloy did a final check of their supplies before they delved into an Old Ones ruin together. This was her first time with an actual focus to wear, one that Aloy had salvaged and showed her very excitedly how to use and scan files to see what more of the old world was like. She, like most other Oseram, never pined for the world before them, for what the people had left them but this meant a lot to Aloy.

So. She waited, leaning on Mittens with her earplugs on because of a sudden spike in sensitivity in her hearing due to leftover damage from Dervahl’s specific brand of torture he had for her.

It was funny too. Aloy was talking faster than she could keep up with, her hands waving about and bringing up new datapoints and facts that she needed to know to better prepare for her first delve. Ersa didn’t tell her she’d been curious when she was younger, exploring places that the Elders didn’t like because she specifically wanted to say a big _fuck you_ to them because, well, she didn’t want to ruin the spark in Aloy’s eyes. She just grinned as Aloy’s mouth and hands moved at rapid fire, finally declaring they were ready to delve into the large Old World ruin.

Mittens followed them at a leisurely pace, they knew there’d be certain places the sawtooth couldn’t get into but it was helpful to have around for extra protection. Knowing both of their lucks, they’d attract every bandit or Eclipse member in the entire Sundom just because it was them.

Aloy was already scanning around with a sort of feral glee that Ersa hadn’t seen on her before, pouncing into dark corners and poking at old things to try and guess what they would do, or if they actually did anything. She was content to let her lead the expedition, occasionally tapping into her focus out of curiosity as to what Aloy could see and was almost immediately overwhelmed by all the lights and colours that shined around the long silenced machines.

“How did the Old Ones live with so many... displays?” She asked, reaching out to tap Aloy on the shoulder in order to get her attention.

“I don’t know, I guess they were like me, they grew up with it?” Was her companion’s muffled reply and Ersa nodded along, made sense, she supposed. If something was all you’d ever known then it was easy to get used to it.

They proceeded further into the bunker, passing a few old bones that made Ersa feel a little more uneasy than she thought she would be. Aloy had said these bunkers were meant to be safe havens for the Old Ones, so why were there so many things _wrong_ here? She had seen her fair share of death, caused it too under the “right” circumstances and she wouldn’t be scared off by some dusty corpse that looked a little too freaked out even in the throes of death.

Aloy went rigid beside her, her eyes laser focused on a datapoint that she found and she listened to it, barely acknowledging Ersa’s concerned touch. The few minutes that passed were tense, quieter than the Oseram was used to even with the buzzing in her ears and stiller than she’d ever know the Nora girl to be. If something had _her_ this spooked, then she was worried about scanning whatever the data was herself.

But she did and... only grew confused. The voice sounded like Aloy’s but it was time stamped from a time of, “2064″ which sounded like a long time away if what she’d been told the current year was in Old World terminology. “She sounds like you?” Ersa said as quietly as possible when she was done listening, still somehow startling Aloy who had a far away look in her eyes. It was the most distant she’d ever seen the larger than life girl who sparked brighter than the sun and it was the most uncomfortable Ersa could remember feeling in, well, quite a while.

A loud _BANG_ had them both reaching for their weapons lightning fast, the serious moment broken as Mittens tore ass into the room they were in, hiding behind Ersa with its heckles raised, a godawful hissing noise coming from its mouth while its eyes flashed bright red out of anger. They shared a look of concern before nodding at each other, silently agreeing on investigating what the hell just scared their _sawtooth_ into hiding behind Ersa.

The culprit?

An old vessel with a worn down label that it had nosed off the table that had marked its final resting place until Mittens knocked it over and scared itself half to death to hide behind Ersa. Aloy had scanned Mittens, just to make sure it was okay and all she could read from it was, “MOTHER” in all caps and some sort of code that followed, “>:(” the word. She didn’t understand it but the thought of a dangerous machine getting scared by an old vessel made her start laughing.

Which of course set Ersa off and soon they were both holding onto each other, trying not to howl too much from how ridiculous the string of events had just been. Still, Ersa made a mental note to ask Aloy about the date later, but right now, it was good to let loose and bring some life into a place so tainted by death.


	14. Chapter 14

The atmosphere surrounding the campfire after their delve was over was... disturbingly silent.

Not because of lack of sounds, there were machines in the distance, the sounds of animals still carried on and just general Mittens shenanigans kept her entertained but Ersa was mostly concerned for Aloy. There had been something about the message she saw on her focus that spooked her, or something, whatever it was had turned her friend _quiet._

She hated it.

“What’s got your forge all dimmed?“ She’d seen part of the data in the bunker but it was probably best to start from the top and get the backstory for whoever that woman was.

Aloy was quiet a little bit longer, poking at the fire idly. “I told you why I left the Nora lands, to hunt down the Killers who attacked the Proving and killed the man who raised me.”

“Yeah? You also told me that wasn’t the full story, you’re very cryptic, little spark.” Ersa said softly, she knew some things but she wouldn’t have gotten as far in life as she did if she hadn’t had some sort of trust in her gut for when things were being with held from her. It was how she had gotten Avad’s friendship way back when she was just being paraded around the Palace for the Sun-King, forced to act as one of his guards until she was able to get away with the help of said man. Her gut had also saved her ass when it came to Aloy, having not trusted the girl when they first met even thought the huntress had pulled her ass from the fire simply because she had such a big heart.

Well, Ersa’s gut had told her then that Aloy was something bigger than she’d ever known and she listened to it now as it told her the exact same thing. Except, it didn’t feel right, Aloy looked utterly small, every bit of a nineteen year old girl instead of the Saviour of Meridian, Nora Seeker, Machine tamer or whatever title suited her best that day.

Aloy chuckled, a little dark sound that unsettled Ersa even more. She supposed she’d have to get used to being uncomfortable more if she wanted to give Aloy the support that she wanted to. It’d be worth it, she was sure about that but that didn’t mean that she didn’t hate it. “You aren’t wrong.”

“Don’t start talking like Marad.” She joked, trying to lighten the other woman up and only managed to get a small smirk out of Aloy which she counted as a success. “No, seriously, talk to me.” Ersa moved from her spot adjacent to the girl and sat next to her, giving her space still so she could back up if she wanted to but close enough to show her she was serious about listening.

A brief moment of hesitation before, “After the Proving, I was hurt. Badly. I was okay after, one of the High Matriarchs got me into the mountain which is a whole different story.” Aloy pulled up something recorded to her focus, sharing it with Ersa as the recorded Aloy talked then another woman stepped up beside her, same face, same voice, same attitude that Ersa was easily convinced this was Aloy’s mother.

Had to be. Why was she dressed oddly? Why did this cause Aloy so much grief?

“She looks like you, or well, you look like her.” Ersa mused as Aloy paused the recording and let her look at them side by side.

“Her name was Elisabet Sobeck, I... we’re related. Somehow, someway but I don’t know _how_ , she lived over a thousand years ago!” Once that had gotten out, Aloy pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and started babbling in earnest. She spilled out all she knew, all she’d found at Maker’s End and the subsequent data points that supported what she already knew, how she was able to get through doors only meant for Elisabet.

Honestly, it made Ersa’s head positively ache and she was barely able to keep up. She knew that it was best to wait at least for her to finish before she asked questions because there was no way Aloy was stopping until she’d spilled everything. None of what she was hearing disgusted her, none of it changed the fact that Aloy was still a real person who just _wanted_ someone to care.

“Hey, Aloy, hold on.” Ersa finally stopped her, disregarding personal space and threw her arm around the other girl, pulling her close to her side. “Slow down, breathe, I’m not going anywhere.” Helping someone calm down before they hyperventilated was easy, she did it with drunk Avad enough that she was practically a pro by now.

Once the girl had calmed down a little, she stayed curled into Ersa’s side and they sat in the quiet, a welcome reprieve now instead of something oppressive and worrisome. They watched Mittens going absolutely wild, sprinting after some grazers with a glee that was definitely odd but it looked like it was having fun and it was certainly entertaining for them so they watched. Even when it didn’t catch one, coming back a little dejected until Aloy chucked a salvaged metal vessel at it for it to destroy.

“Alright, so I get most of what you said but, what does that have to do with what you found down there?”

This time there was a heavy sigh. “Even if somehow this is all real and Elisabet was my mother, she wouldn’t have wanted me. Whoever she was talking to in that datapoint... well, she made it clear that family wasn’t much of an option.”

Understanding how sensitive the topic of mothers was with the Nora, plus now understanding why Aloy was so upset, she could actually help now. “Maybe something went wrong. Maybe she would have wanted you and we’ll just never get to know, I’m sure she’d already be proud of you for what you’ve done despite the shit start you got.” Ersa tried to stay optimistic but how did one reassure someone like Aloy about something like _this?_

Aloy shrugged. “I don’t think we’ll ever know... I don’t think she’s alive for me to meet. I want to hope and believe but it feels like I’m just meant to be alone.”

Ersa grimaced, self doubt was a bitch and she despised that Aloy was feeling it even though it was more than understandable why. “I get it. It’s easy to feel alone when you feel like you’re seperated from everyone else.” She did get it, she was Ersa Vanguardswoman, right hand to the Sun-King, one of the freebooters who liberated Meridian and she captained practically an army for years, she got a bit of what it was like to be different.

“Hey, but think of this. Find people like you, that there’s something special to them.” She changed the tune, wanting Aloy to be cheered up instead of a sad, moping girl against her side. “You already got people back in the Nora lands, you told me? And if that ain’t great, then you got me, you got Erend and Avad and that hunter from the lodge, many more people I’m sure too.”

“They only like me cuz I helped them.”

“Really? I don’t think so, maybe you helped ‘em at first but they want you to stick around cuz they like you for who you are. Maybe your mother would have to, even if you’ll never know, that shouldn’t stop you from finding a new family.”

“A... new family?”

“Duh, like I said, me, Erend, Avad, Mittens-” At the sound of its name, it perked up and chirped at them before going back to gleefully destroyed a tree. “Who’s getting us more firewood it seems.”

Aloy’s somber mood finally broke, a laugh spilling from her lips that caused her body to shake against Ersa’s own and she let herself join in. “Thanks, it feels... nice to have that all out in the open.” Aloy grinned up at her before pulling herself out from Ersa’s side to go poke at the fire again, testing the stew she had been making while brooding.

Ersa shook her head at herself, grateful to see Aloy lively again but she knew that this was something that would come up again, she was going to have to fan the flames to keep her forge going and from snuffing out due to self doubt and whatever else came with her past. That was fine, they were family now, not by blood but by choice...

Now she grinned. “Hey, you know what else family does?”

Aloy gave her a curious look.

“Tease the shit out of each other, what’s up with you and that cute girl from the Lodge?”

Aloy turned several different shades of red, chucking a nearby rock at Ersa, the projectile bouncing off of her armor and sending the Oseram into a fit of howling laughter.


	15. Chapter 15

A normal day for Ersa had changed somewhat since she met Aloy and Dervahl’s final end to his reign of terror against everyone who disagreed with him. It was usually much more relaxed even as she still kept the peace between Carja and Oseram, still had to check on Erend and make sure her little brother wasn’t fucking up with the vanguard.

(She wouldn’t admit it, but she was proud of him for stepping up and keeping the role, even if he slipped too far into his drink sometimes, he was a good man and the job did him good.)

After she had threatened (politely) more than one Noble with ejecting them from the throne to stop them from harassing Avad about stupid shit, even having Mittens snarl at one member from the Lodge who wanted to file a complaint against the current Sunhawk, Talanah and Aloy, a Nora who “didn’t belong with them”. Ersa would have relished in letting Mittens pounce on the asshole but Avad angrily dismissed him, reminding him that the _Nora_ , had a name and did save his life, as well as Ersa’s and all of Meridian.

He said some nice things about Talanah too but Ersa was too busy feeling smug at how pale the complainant had gotten before he turned tail and fled.

After that, Avad had told her to go ahead and go, citing she really should have some fun now that things were calmer and he did have Marad to help annoy the nobles who got too pushy. She agreed, getting Mittens to follow her but not before it bunted into Avad’s side with an affectionate grunt, causing the Sun-King to stumble in place before Ersa took off down the stairs and out of the palace. She quite enjoyed the wide berth everyone seemed to give her, both out of fear for her herself and for the sawtooth at her side that seemed perfectly content with just existing.

Her first stop before going home to relax was the market, she wanted to get some fresh things to eat and the heart of Meridian had some good things... But best stuff was down in the village and while it was out of the way, the trip down was more than worth it. She’d become easily recognized as someone who they always tried to give normal deals to but she paid extra anyways, having the shards to do so and since it was her currency, no one could tell her no. Mittens seemed to like it down there too, the children were less afraid of it and constantly played around with it.

Ersa chuckled as some of the guards straightened at the sight of her, not speaking to her as they recognized by now if she had her ear coverings, it wouldn’t do them any good because she couldn’t hear them at all. And since she had her own assistant machine, it also kept others away who wouldn’t understand that her ringing ears wouldn’t just stop to listen to their grievances.

It was nice out too. She wasn’t a believer in the Sun faith but it felt like there was a grain of truth in it on days like this with the sun blazing hot against her skin against the cool breeze that swept around her. The sky was bluer than a fresh canister of chillwater with a few clouds to provide intermittent shade when they passed under the bright light hanging above her.

Ersa reached down and patted Mittens head before setting out further into Meridian Village with a pleased hum.

Of course, haggling while she couldn’t hear was still easy, she just passed over way too many shards after picking out what she wanted and “ignored” any protests. Her plan went perfectly, soon enough she was scurrying away, pleased as always with fresh fruits and some meat wrapped in large leaves to take up and cook in her home.

Except, she paused not too far from the elevators as she saw a familiar mane of red hair at a merchant who sold resources. Ersa grinned at the sight of Aloy’s almost feral glee over whatever it was laid out on the table before her, nimble fingers flying over different machines parts and things that would provide useful for her when she was out hunting. That Ersa was used to but what made the whole sight funnier was Talanah, in full Sunhawk fashion, standing next to her Thrush, arms full of resources with a look of fond exasperation on her face as Aloy put yet _another_ thing in her arms for her to carry.

The poor merchant looked both proud and terrified, causing Ersa to cackle madly before she left Talanah to her fate of death by excited machine rider and went home with Mittens in tow.

(She did stop and let the children play with Mittens, one small carja girl pleaded to ride it around which was a wish the sawtooth seemed only too happy to fulfill and Ersa entertained herself by watching a tiny kid on her machine’s back.)

That was just a typical day for her. Guarding Avad, playing bad guy to nobles, going home when he decreed that he had other work he needed to do and Erend could get to work guarding him so she could go enjoy some downtime. It was nice, it’d been a long time since she’d had free time and even longer since she’d been free of the assholes that had tried to ruin her life.

Mittens bunted into her backside, urging her out of her fond stupor to move into the elevator. She gave it a soft, thankful pat on top of its head and with a hearty pull of the lever, they ascended back on the Mesa.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one this time! Just a little rest for our favorite huntress :)

Of course, just because Aloy’s mission to save Ersa was over, didn’t mean that her own personal mission was over or her streak of helping people for that matter. So when Ersa was waiting at Brightmarket with Avad for whatever contact he was supposed to meet, in person too, she supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised to see Aloy on the raft with a few guards, another woman she hadn’t seen since the Liberation, and fucking Nasadi with her son, Itamen in tow.

“I suppose it should make sense that your influence is in this, Aloy.” Avad mused to the woman, getting a little shrug from her before kneeling to address Itamen, promising him no harm would come to him or his mother. Ersa chuckled, bleeding hearts, the both of them were and that’s one reason she loved both of them.

Even so, she studied Aloy, noting how ragged and worn down she looked. If the others were travelling back with Avad and the guard, she'd linger behing and force the girl into taking a rest at the small inn that was here in Brightmarket. She could do with a long rest, some decently spicy food and some snuggle time with an overly affectionate sawtooth that always read, "MOTHER :)" on its display whenever she scanned it with her focus and it caught her looking.

She had a sneaking suspicion that she was supposed to see that.

"Hey! Kiddo, come here." Ersa called to Aloy before she got too far away while the others did indeed follow Avad back to the the road towards Meridian. Aloy saw her, the haze in her eyes clearing up just enough for her to really see Ersa and Mittens waiting for her and without a word, she crashed into the Oseram, hugging her for all she was worth. “Woah, woah” Ersa was concerned, making sure to quiet her voice and hug Aloy just as tightly back. She wasn’t a slacker in the hug department and she was surer than Vanguard steel gonna make sure the girl knew that.

“I’m, okay, I think. Just, a lot has been going on since I saw you last.” Aloy’s voice even sounded weary and Ersa knew the kid well enough by now that that was a feat in of itself.

Still, Ersa could imagine that with the apparent weight of the world on Aloy’s shoulders just from her having to figure out what’s connecting her to whatever looming shadow that seemed to hang over them all was finally starting to crack her strength and sap her dry.

“Well, why don’t we take the scenic route to Meridian?” Ersa suggested, slinging her arm over Aloy’s shoulder, the girl seeming to fit easily into her side with Mittens flanking Aloy on her free side. “I finally got that thing we were talking about.”

The mention of that seemed to perk Aloy up a bit and so, with a quick snack stop at a merchant, the three headed back to Ersa’s apartment from Brightmarket to Meridian.

Watching Erend chase around Mittens was fun enough for Aloy to relax a bit, just sag on Ersa’s bed and listen to the repetitive clank of Vanguard armor and machine noise to calm her grated nerves and overstimulated ears. She’d been running around, dodging bombs, loud machines and even louder, far angrier people and she was just exhausted from it all. To be able to sit in a place that was safe and familiar, with familiar, strong friends, was her ticket to just sinking into the warmth of the siblings bickering over Mittens and enjoy herself.

Sometime later, a firm hand shook her awake, enough to startle her but not enough to trigger her fight or flight. It was okay, it was just Ersa who was letting her know Erend wanted to say goodnight to her before leaving them to their girl’s night. Easy enough, she could wave him off and have Ersa fend him off if he tried to overstay her tolerance for people at the moment.

After that, she and Ersa quietly started opening up paint satchels and mixing them into bowls so they could start customizing Mittens who sat in between them with a content hum vibrating through its chest cavity. “What do you think?” Ersa asked, planting an orange handprint on Mittens’ head and getting a giggle from her while Mittens remained still.

“I think it needs something...” She murmured and slapped a black handprint over it, getting a shiver now from Mittens who looked at her and a scan indicated it was asking, “PLAY?”

“No, no playtime yet. We can’t let you out until you dry!”

And that was how she and Ersa spent the rest of the afternoon, clad in casual clothes, getting covered with paints while giving Mittens a colourful makeover with different oranges, blacks and the occasional gray to mark it as their sawtooth and not just a random machine. Aloy made sure to leave a unique print on one of its shoulders, singing a little “A” next to it with a happy grin that widened when Ersa copied her move on the other side.

Mittens, the best sawtooth they’d ever met, took it all with a “:)” on its display the entire time it sat drying.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talanah finds out Aloy is going to the Cut and takes a chance to assess some of her feelings while finding out some of Aloy's own.

“So.” Talanah said with a sense of finality as she got closer to Aloy who stood not far from the shrine dedicated to the fallen Hawks of the Lodge, leaning against the railing with her eyes closed and red hair blowing gently in the breeze. The sun was going down in the distance and it seemed that it was blessing Aloy with some of its final rays of the day, illuminating her features and warming her with its soft glow until she looked positively otherworldly.

She was the most beautiful person Talanah had ever seen, the strongest she’d ever met as a matter of fact.

“Hm?” Aloy turned away from the edge, the sun’s light catching her eyes in a way that made them glow brighter and sucker punched Talanah in her stomach. “Talanah?” She propped her elbow onto the railing, leaning her cheek into her hand and giving her Hawk her full attention which made a person feel like they were the most important person in the world.

Talanah could see how Aloy swayed people of every clan, of every walk of life if she gave them the same attention. Somehow, she had to come to terms with the fact that she'd been so damn lucky to be the one Aloy went to when she came to the Lodge, when she had been graced with the brazen heat of Aloy's fury at Ahsis and her stubborn need to prove to the man that he was an asshole. "We'll get back to that in a minute." She felt brave enough right now to get closer to her Thrush, brave enough to ignore the thundering in her chest to just forget about everything else and enjoy the time she had with Aloy for now.

Aloy gave her a smile. "You look deep in thought. More Lodge business?" She hummed, something she'd been doing more and more since properly bonding with Ersa, the woman becoming something of family to her and ever since Talanah had taken over as Sunhawk, she'd gotten to hear Aloy just as Aloy.

It was nice.

"No, the Lodge is in good standing now, much better than it was under Ahsis." She did admit, proud of the work she'd been putting in and how many of the other Hawks had backed her up when she took over. The dissenters were still there and she'd have to deal with them in time, but for now, she could enjoy her victory, she could build her reputation and drag the Lodge into the new day Sun. Not just in honor of the Hawks who died in the Sun-Ring, not just in the name of her family not even just for her, but for all the common people who needed Hunters and Huntresses, trained people who could handle the unusual phenomena.

"Starting to mean something?" Aloy was very perceptive and Talanah was grateful for it. "I'm glad I could help, even if it was mostly just to shut Ahsis up." Another coy smile and a casual touch from Aloy's hand to Talanah's hip almost made her blush.

She was right that everything finally felt like it was starting to mean something but the burning in her chest didn't ease up any when Aloy pulled her hand back to take one of the almost forgotten drinks from Talanah's hands. Aloy sniffed at it, swirling the liquid in the glass and gave her a somewhat unsure look before taking a sip of the wine. "Ugh, how do you drink this stuff? I mean, I suppose its better than the scrappersap Ersa likes but-" She put the glass down on the railing with some disdain.

"Give it time, I'll find something you like." Talanah once again ignore the little feeling in her chest that screamed out that she wanted to be the something Aloy liked.

"Well, I like you." Aloy said, easy as breathing and turning back to look out over some of the city as if she hadn't just bombed Talanah with such a simple statement.

Oh. _Oh_.

"Oh." Was all she could seem to say and that got a chuckle from her thrush again. "I-"

"The Great Sunhawk? Speechless?" Aloy seemed to be in a playful mood, which was a wonderful change from her normally somber demeanor and Talanah honestly didn't mind being at the butt of her fun for just a little while. "Sawtooth got your tongue?"

"No- uh, just, you like me." Talanah couldn't help but grin and feel like she was soaring on Stormbird wings after the admission.

"Well, duh, I don't stick around people I don't like. You and Ersa are my favorites." A pause. "For different reasons." Now she was shy again and still looking away from Talanah, not able to gauge the soft, stricken look on her face as she let herself hope just a little more that it meant what she hoped it meant. "Relationships are, hard. Being an outcast doesn't exactly teach you the best way to have them. It's confusing and I don't exactly know what I'm feeling sometimes, I just know I like you and being around you." She rambled on a bit, her hands now tangling together nervously.

Seeing Aloy so out of tune was... disorienting to say the least but to hear it was because of feelings, feelings for _her_ then- well, Talanah couldn't say she minded. She could, however, ease the situation a little.

"Hey." She touched Aloy's elbow, getting her to look unsurely at her in response. "Dance with me." Talanah pulled back, offering her hand and her heart by extension to Aloy for whenever she was ready to take the leap into something more. Her feelings were clearer than she had expected them to be, finally now able to soar around happily without her repressing them due to a fear that Aloy wouldn't return them. She could wait now, she'd wait until Aloy got back from the Cut, she'd wait until whatever mission she was on was resolved, she would wait for when Aloy was ready, as long as she got to stay by her side and fight for the greater good of the world they lived in.

Aloy took her hand and allowed herself to be pulled into Talanah's arms, both of them swaying to distant music that wasn't fitting for their type of dance but fitting for the excitement that coursed through them as they could explore something new. Slowly, but surely and wholly together.

And that sounded like a sweet way to end the Sun's reign over the day and usher in a new Moon to watch over their fledging romance.

A wonderful way indeed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Into the Frozen Wilds

Moving through the edge of the Embrace was… odd. Aloy had left several months back after helping many Nora with various odds and ends after the murders at the Proving and just running ragged as the jobs kept coming. Really, she hadn’t meant putting off going to Daytower but she unfortunately had. Lucky for her, Olin hadn’t moved much even due to her long delay and then, her delay to Meridian had ensured she had Ersa in her life now. 

Also, she hadn’t even been back to see Vala since the night she reported to Sona about getting the fire arrows to Orn and maybe, she would have to go back even if it was just in passing and on the way to Rost’s grave again. That would give her enough time to get caught up with Sona, Varl and Vala again, check in on Odd Grata. It seems like the more she tried to run away from the Nora, the more people she came to care about there. 

Going back seemed like the last thing she wanted to do, but she might have to. Maybe she could drag Ersa with her. 

Speaking of… “How are you doing down there?” She leaned away from the side of the mountain she was clinging to, looking over her shoulder while holding on with ease by one hand and well placed feet. Aloy grinned down at her companion, Ersa having chosen to bundle up and follow her through the edge of Nora lands, past the Cursed Grounds, take out a bandit camp and run like hell away from a pack of scrappers that Mittens had antagonized. “You look a little clunky, are you sure you’re warm enough?” Aloy knew she was playing with fire by teasing Ersa but it was worth it when another glare was sent her way.

“Well excuse  _ me _ !” Ersa huffed and puffed, lugging herself up another few rungs of handholds to get close to Aloy. “Which one of us is wearing fucking Oseram armor and the other traipsing about in Nora clothes?” She was almost in reach and would certainly smack Aloy once she caught up.

So, naturally, Aloy scurried up to the next ledge, pulling herself over with a sort of mad cackle on her lips. “That sounds like a personal problem!” She put her hands on her hips, leaning down to catch another glare and Ersa lobbing a loose rock up at her. Easy enough to side step and cackle about it while she waited for her to catch up, they were only about halfway up according to the rough map Othur had given her when they passed through Daytower on the way over to the entrance to The Cut. 

New lands for her, strange lands of new machines and a strange corruption that drove them mad. Banuk lands, people who were more… open to machines and the truth about them from what she gathered from the few wanderers she’d met and the travellers who’d gone through Ban-Ur and the Frozen Wilds the people called home. Aloy was more than a little nervous, she had no idea what to expect when she got there, but it was a mission that felt right up her alley and it helped that she had Ersa with her.

Ersa who just tumbled over the side of the ledge, heaving for air on the ground in a desperate attempt to catch her breath after trying to keep pace with Aloy. Aloy grinned and looked down at her, hands on her knees this time as she nudged her foot against Ersa’s side, getting a weak slap to her ankle in retribution. “Fire and  _ spit _ , I’m never following you anywhere again.”

  
“Aw, why not?”

“Who the fuck let you be so spry?”

“Rost, I told you he trained me.”

“I hate you.” Ersa glared at her again, all non threatening and a smile ruining her venomous words so Aloy just preened under the weight of the false words then pranced onwards towards the next set of hand holds. “I wish Mittens was here so it could bite you!”

“No you don’t, you wish it was here to have someone on your side!” Unfortunately, Mittens wasn’t a climbing machine nor could it fly, so it had to go the long way around to get to the edge of Banuk territory where it could sneak through hostile machines, hopefully not antagonize anymore scrappers or grazers then meet them outside of the first camp. Song’s Edge, if Othur was to be believed about his recollection of Banuk territory and honestly, Aloy was barely believing of it. If they hadn’t passed abandoned carts and packs at the bottom near Grave Hoard, she would have turned around but that plus Banuk markings encouraged her upwards.

Ersa finally caught her breath and took her time getting up the side of the mountain, following Aloy at an easier pace and letting her Nora friend scout ahead for these new dangers. She vaguely heard Aloy angrily talking into her Focus, presumably to the Sylens fellow that Ersa wanted to strangle more than once just from Aloy’s stories on him alone. Especially how he used her to crash the Eclipse network and didn’t even  _ warn  _ her about the Devil that was out to kill her was there, it was fucking there and turned dozens of Deathbringers and enemies on her to try and snuff her spark. 

Yeah, if she met him in person, she was either going to kill him or show him the true meaning of Oseram steel.

She kept climbing upwards, idly wondering if Mittens was okay. The Banuk were easier going about machines, their blue light and everything but she still worried. She was like that, she cared no matter how much her gruff exterior normally kept people from getting too close to her. Ersa grinned as her fingers latched onto another hold, remembering Aloy and hers first meeting when she’d been wounded, blinded and more than a little deafened and instead of taking quiet pity on her, Aloy had sassed her right back, tending to her wounds and helped her keep her dignity intact.

There’d been no way Ersa was going to let Aloy go somewhere dangerous like the Cut without backup, not even to repay a favour, she would have done it just to go somewhere new and to keep who was effectively her little sister company. 

“Get down!” Aloy hissed right next to her after she crested the next ledge, yanking her into a patch of tall grass behind a rock. Ersa’s adrenaline spiked, anticipating a fight and unhooking her warhammer from her back and following Aloy’s lead to the edge of their cover to see whatever was crunching around on the dense snow and ice ahead of them. 

Once they had eyes on the large, black machine that was smoking and sparking, half damaged already with Banuk spears sticking out of it, Aloy tapped the side of her focus, scanning it to see what it was. Ersa waited for her diagnostic, almost admiring the dark machine and it’s prowling, not unsimilar to the way a Ravager looked but larger, almost leaner and a being that rattled with an angry fire to it that would put the Ealdormen to shame. Purple… growths almost erupted it’s neck, almost like wires, almost like it was corrupted but by something that was stronger and angrier than HADES was. 

Was  _ this _ the Daemon? Not the machine, but the corruption of the machine. Ersa frowned as she saw a flash appear in front of her, her focus activating and telling her this was a “Daemonic Scorcher” and what it’s weaknesses were. So it was the work of something worse than HADES but it wasn’t impossible to kill, she could go in and keep it distracted while Aloy pelted it with chillwater ammo. 

“Ersa-” Aloy murmured to her, something akin to fear in her eyes and Ersa shrugged it off. Now wasn’t the time to be scared, they had a job to do and she had to do what she did best, be on the front lines and keep her people safe. 

“Hey!” Ersa tucked out of cover, getting the Scorcher’s attention easily enough after she quickly got some ground fire kiln root into her system, not even taking the time to cringe at the taste. Whatever this machine was aiming to do, she already had a bone to pick with it for the aggression it was showing. Someone had already done a number on it but she and Aloy had to kill it before it could harm anyone else.

The Scorcher reached out, taking a few rapid swipes at her as it’s eyes were locked on her in their angry red state. She leapt out of the way of the first one and blocked the second swipe with her hammer’s handle, using some of her momentum against itself to send the hammerhead into the machine’s paw. It let out a cursed yowling noise, its aggression only seeming to increase which made her grin. Good, she had its attention solely on her just as she saw Aloy release a trio of chillwater tipped arrows into a weak point on the creature’s hide and almost instantly froze it into a statue that she didn’t have long to crush. 

Before it could break free, Ersa slid around the side of it to target a spot that her focus had highlighted and with two strong swings of her hammer, she removed the mine launcher from its back to the ground. Now, her job was to start running and get it following her so Aloy could get to the launcher and make it useful in her fancy, machine taming ways while she played bait. By the forge, she knew she said she wanted to get into running more but this wasn’t how she envisioned it.

Still, Ersa braced herself in front of it’s angry gaze, bashing it in the face with the butt of her weapon and took off when it started creaking, breaking free of its frozen shell and chasing her up an incline that wasn’t too far from the area she and Aloy had first spotted it. 

Now, she’d been through hell and back, survived Jiran’s Sun-Ring, survived the Sundom in general but the heat emanating from the machine against her leather clad back put the Carja’s god to absolute  _ shame _ with the force of its burn. Ersa was lucky she thought of the fire kiln root, it helped ease the stray sparks and fire that licked around her when she was a little too slow in dodging it and by the forge, how did Aloy do this constantly?

Ersa heard a sputter from a heavy weapon being fired, safely assuming that Aloy had gotten the mine launcher working properly and she scrambled up the side of a cliff face, out of reach of the Scorcher now. Aloy took a page out of her book, shouting at it and insulting the machine to come get her while Ersa caught her breath, moving around the top of the ridge to provide what support she could while Aloy decimated it with its own weapons.

She scanned it again, highlighted a Power Generator on its hindquarters that was weak to impact attacks. Instead of wondering why the small thing knew that, she waited for Aloy to almost run out of mines to launch at the enraged Scorcher, backed up a bit from the edge and ran towards it, unheeding about the damage she could potentially do to her legs to carry out her half assed plan. 

It worked. Ersa leapt off the edge just in time for the Scorcher to rear back and aim at Aloy, her hammer swinging forcefully over her head and she let her weight and momentum carry her so she could bring her weapon down on the Power Generator and destroying it in one swift move. Before Aloy could finish it off, Ersa moved and swung the flat metal into the side of its head so strongly that it mangled it and the Scorcher went silent, the purple wiring seemingly melting away and leaving a broken, corrupted husk of a machine.

The valley they were in was quiet once more until Aloy punched her in her arm, making her laugh before the scrawny girl squeezed her within an inch of her life with a tight hug. 

“I’m okay, Flame Hair, you know I can handle myself.” Ersa reassured her, carefully stroking the back of Aloy’s head in an attempt to reassure her anyways.

Aloy grumbled. She knew this but still, she didn’t like it when people risked their lives for her even though she had no say in if Ersa decided she was worth it, that was never going to be an argument that she’d win. Her self confidence had no chance against a stubborn Oseram woman who fought death back over and over again and decided that she was worth all the danger that came with being who she was, following her into unfamiliar lands and scolding her for not eating her vegetables. 

“Well, I know but…” Aloy sighed and moved away, leaving the old argument to rest so she could investigate the Scorcher for any good components. “The lens are  _ definitely _ shattered.” Aloy observed wryly, rolling her eyes at the state of the machine that Ersa had left her. Her companion just shrugged and started ripping away paneling to see if she could locate where its heart no longer beat.

“Ah! But its heart is intact!” Ersa grinned, producing a knife from a sheath on her thigh and carved it out to add to her traveling pack. “Definitely gotta be worth a few shards to the Banuk, considering that they are who it was probably terrorising before it got to us.” Aloy agreed with her, getting a brief glimpse of the heart, no longer corrupted and surprisingly intact for the beatings its host took from Ersa. 

Aloy pulled off some shards and a few wires, adding them to her packs for her ammunition and with a quick lookover of the Scorcher, they moved further on. They were close to the top of the pass where a few more handholds were all it took to get up to the trail that should take them to Song’s Edge, where they could inquire about the Scorchers, the new machines in general, this new corruption that had an ominous name and just… everything really. 

Maybe Ersa could figure out someplace for them to rest as she kept an eye on Aloy for the rest of their trek up the mountain. The kid was a powerhouse, fight after fight and endless amounts of running never seemed to wear her out but she had a duty as a big sister, she’d make sure Aloy took care of herself so she didn’t burn out before she had another long rest. 

“ _ Outlanders on the mountain!” _ was the next cry they heard, almost startling them out of the trance they’d fallen into after cooling down from the fight. They peered through the snow drifting down around them and saw someone on a rise, watching them approach the marked path that would lead them to a camp hopefully. No more words were uttered to them, but the nod they received let them both know they’d been considered… not exactly friend but definitely not foe. 

Better than nothing, Ersa mused and picked up into a jog after Aloy who now seemed like she was in a hurry again after their fight with the Scorcher. There were Banuk on the way, a few of them heckled at Aloy, asking if she’d be warm enough up there but strangely, made no comments towards Ersa even if she was less equipped to be out in the cold than Aloy. Huh, well, a few Oseram had definitely come through here so maybe it was a point of they didn’t want to get pulled into anything because people of her clan could be… chatty and pushy. 

“Smoke?” Aloy asked when they got out of the cave system, spying a rather large encampment that had to be Song’s Edge. So, maybe Othur’s map hadn’t been a complete bust but that was still a stretch from the scribbled glyphs they’d been given. “Both from the mountain and the village.”

Strange. “Hm, let’s check it out.” Ersa followed Aloy down and tried to keep herself in check. The Claim got cold but this? This felt like every winter was hitting at once, biting into her exposed skin with a ferocity that reminded her of one of her more unfortunate run ins with a snapmaw’s jaw clamping shut mere inches from her face. Snow was everywhere, most of it ankle depth when they strayed off the beaten path but she saw Aloy sink into some that was knee deep, brushing the bottoms of her thighs and that only made her  _ dread _ what was further out in the wilderness.

Honestly, she didn’t pay too much attention to the funeral rites themselves, having seen enough death and destruction in her years. She was more interested in Bergrund, the Oseram merchant who was talking to Aloy and fending off her inquisitive nature. Ersa was interested in Aratak, the Werak Cheiftan who had given an… interesting rallying cry to his werak, similar to Ersa’s method of bolstering her men and he was definitely at the top of her own list of people to talk to. 

The thing that got her  _ most _ was the sheer beauty that was in this hellacious place. The distant mountains stretched further out than she could see, filling in the skyline and greeting the Sun as it sunk below the horizon far sooner than the flat mesas of the Sundom did. Shimmering ice glittered, reflecting deep purples, blues and even some golds as the sky changed color with sunset, reflecting and reminding Ersa that she was practically surrounded by the coldest place she’d ever been. Plus, with the sun going down, she could finally see a little clearer, the snow not blinding her as much as it did beforehand and she could take in Song’s Edge in its entirety. 

“Her apprentice, Naltuk might know where she went. He went North aways from Song’s Edge.” Bergrund said, finishing up his conversation with Aloy who gave her an expectant look after she shook herself back into her skin. She’d have time to admire the The Cut later, right now they did have a mission to do, people to talk to and help given Aloy’s bleeding heart. 

Ersa frowned. “We’ll go talk to him  _ then _ set up our tents, you’re almost dead on your feet, Flame Hair.” Ersa crossed her arms, glaring at her to make sure Aloy knew this wasn’t up for an argument. She got a pout in return but no other complaints, so they set off to leave Song’s Edge to find the Shaman Apprentice who would guide them down the correct path towards Ourea. 

But first, Aloy went to talk to a woman named Laulai who looked distraught, mumbling about water and her home. Then she stopped to talk to a Shaman who waved her over, sharing a secret with Aloy and Aloy only while Ersa waited by the rainbow colored pool, watching the Banuk gather around it, pour things into it. She’d never seen something like it before and was more than content to bask in its subtle heat while some of these damned crazies pranced around in less clothing than was right. 

“What do you make of it?” She asked Aloy as they started their trek towards where Naltuk was last seen. The Cut was already crazier than she had expected but she knew what she had signed up for when she pledged to Aloy that she’d follow her into strange lands, pledging her weapon, her companionship and whatever it was her friend needed to help her complete her mission. 

Aloy stayed quiet, not in a way that meant she hadn’t heard Ersa but in a way that signified that she was thinking heavily on what The Frozen Wilds contained. No good obviously, but maybe something that wasn’t incurable, they’d find out more when they found Ourea, when they found Naltuk, that much was evident. Just, how much would they have to do to put an end to this new corruption? What would it cost them to descend deeper and deeper into this madness that was escalating more and more as each day passed? 

Would they end up dead? Would one of their potential allies end up dead? Would they learn nothing, leaving empty handed with no answer for this twisted corruption and dooming the Banuk to live with it until there was nothing left?

Aloy sighed. “I don’t know yet. It’s not good, whatever it is. Too similar to what HADES does, too similar to the Faro machines, I think we’ll have to keep moving and keep getting into it.”

Ersa knocked into her shoulder, making Aloy stumble to the side because she wasn’t prepared for the suddenness of the gesture. “Hey, don’t sweat it kiddo. Whatever this shit is, we’ll figure it out. Between your brilliant mind and my brilliant fists, I’m sure we got this.” Her smile helped ease some of Aloy’s nerves, enough for her to smile in return before she took a deep breath and pressed onwards so they could find Naltuk.

Their adventure into the Frozen Wilds had officially begun.


	19. Chapter 19

Finding Naltuk hadn’t been too hard, given how ornate the Shaman headdresses were, given how they insisted on baring an insane amount of skin to the biting cold. Bergrend’s instructions had been clear enough, Naltuk had gone north of the river to hunt down a rumor regarding something to the new machines or how deranged they’d become. 

Which brought Ersa to her next  _ what the fuck am I seeing _ moment. There was a large tower perched a little ways away from the Shaman to be, apparently in a cooldown state because it suddenly came to life, whirring and spinning, gearing itself up until it shimmered almost too brightly for her to look at and sent out a purple wave of energy, alongside a black miasma, that hit the daemonic machines in the vicinity. “It heals them?” Aloy asked quietly, seemingly to no one in particular as they watched the Longlegs that had been limping from a trap repair itself to almost better than normal.

“Indeed.” Naltuk answered her question. “The Daemon’s energy pulses from them. Rallies the machines and even repairs them.” He gestured about, seemingly nervous and definitely a bit overwhelmed by the task given to him by Ourea to keep an eye on the new towers and to try and stop the spread of whatever infection was seeping into the Cut. 

Aloy asked about the Daemon’s work, how Aratak had said it was frenzying the machines and Naltuk only confirmed their suspicion that the purple markings was similar to corruption, similar to HADES work in driving the machines infected mad. Aloy told him as much, that where they came from they had seen similar work, “But not from your Daemon.” She finished, shooting another concerned look at the tower that continued to whir away as if it weren’t encroaching on territory that it wasn’t welcome in. 

“Really?” Now Naltuk sounded surprised, “Then you know more than I do. Your Oseram friend know the same?” He glanced over at Ersa, a little skeptical and she rolled her eyes at him, refusing to dignify him with a response. If he wanted to know how well she could handle herself in battle against this new enemy, then she’d give him a show when she and Aloy went in to take care of the machines.

“Oh yeah.” Still, Aloy answered him, surprisingly playing diplomat between Ersa’s bad mood and Naltuk’s disbelief. “Will you tell me where Ourea went?” She changed the subject so abrasively that it almost made Ersa crack a grin and she would have if she wasn’t  _ shivering _ , seriously, who wanted to move somewhere like this place? 

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“Only when I’m not getting the answers I need.” Aloy shot back, her spark a pleasant heat in this Sun forsaken land.

Naltuk sighed. “There’s one voice Ourea wants to hear right now, and it isn’t yours. I’m sorry.”

That brought an end to that line of inquiry as the three of them watched the machines patrol around, astoundingly remaining oblivious to them despite all the noise they made. Ersa frowned and huddled closer to Aloy, never had she been so grateful for someone else’s body heat, even in the Claim, she’d grin and bear the cold with a smile. It seemed that the ice and snow, as well as the frigid way to survive here was going to be her ultimate spark test, to see whether or not she’d crack or if she was really made of the sternest Oseram steel there was. 

Well, she was full of spite but not only that, she had an idea. “Well, we’ll start getting the towers taken down.” She stood up suddenly, batting away Aloy’s hand with barely a thought. “Just like with the Scorcher, kiddo. I’ll distract ‘em, you go after the tower and investigate it.” 

Aloy scrutinized the vicinity for a brief moment, tapping into her focus to scan around for what machines were patrolling. Naltuk was a little put off by their sudden dismissal of them but at least he seemed to have a decent enough head on his shoulders to let the crazy outlanders charge to their death in  _ peace _ . “There’s definitely more than one machine here, I see the Longlegs, no doubt there’s another and a scrapper near the tower.” She tapped something on her focus and sent what she saw to Ersa’s, tracks highlighting suddenly for her and machine vulnerabilities due to the Focus’s idle mode still providing useful information. 

“Alright, I’ll holler and get them after me, as soon as you have that tower under control… come get my sorry slag.” Ersa grinned down at Aloy, happy to feel her blood coursing through her at the prospect of a fight and maybe even showing off to Naltuk. Aloy didn’t seem to share her confidence but Ersa’s attitude seemed to be rubbing off on her and soon she too was standing, ready to split from her and divert towards the tower. That would give Ersa plenty of breathing room to do what she did best, cause absolute fucking carnage. 

“ _ Wait! _ Outlanders, won’t you tell me your names?” Odd time to ask them their names but Ersa ignored it and jumped off the ledge with her warhammer primed to strike while Aloy took care of the diplomacy. She could practically hear Aloy’s sass and dry wit follow her, undoubtedly tired of Naltuk’s game. Even then, Ersa didn’t really blame him for the frigidness, he didn’t seem a bad man, just a man who was faced with an insurmountable task and two outlanders who had more hot air than sense. 

Ersa veered left as the Longlegs made its way past her hiding spot, the idea was to get it to notice her just enough to alert the scrapper at the top of the tower and clear the way for Aloy to get up there. Honestly, Aloy could probably stealth up there without Ersa risking her neck but when had she ever steered away from a fight? Never! She was an Oseram after all! 

A little feral grin spread across her lips when the Longlegs noticed her, its eyes going from the eerie purple to a bright red. It got a quick crow out before she lunged forward out of the brush, driving the prybar section of her hammer right between the concussion sack on its chest and straight into the machine heart that lay behind it. That cut off whatever noise it made, sending it collapsing into a sluggish moving heap in front of her as machine blood spilled from its body. 

She had kept an eye on the tower, the Scrapper definitely noticed the noise and she could spy Aloy, just barely in the bush nearest to the tower. Before the tower could spin up and heal the Longlegs, Ersa swung around and brought her hammer straight down onto the machine core, permanently disabling the corrupted husk of metal. Riding the high of that, she crooked her fingers at the Scrapper, daring it to give chase to her and not pay attention to her shimmering companion who’s shield kept overloading with every pulse of the tower. 

The scrapper took the bait, blaring red and charging up it’s awful maw to lunge towards Ersa. 

Now the game officially began, thankfully the Claim had snow and so she had an idea of how to best run through it. The machines would get bogged down by it too so if she was stuck, then so was it and she had a far better reach than a scrapper did, meaning it would be stuck with  _ her. _ Ersa chuckled even if she was running around like her ass was on fire, dodging angry swipes from the damned thing, despite the very dire circumstances that led her here, at least there were still machines for her to antagonize. 

Erend was going to be so  _ jealous _ that she got to leave Meridian to go on an adventure with their favorite Huntress. She couldn’t wait to rub it in his face.

The scrapper’s maw grinding reminded her she had a very real problem still. Distantly, she heard the tower whirring differently than it had before when sending out pulses to heal the machines and the scrapper behind her suddenly fell, stopping short of biting her ass and convulsed with electric shocks. She capitalized on its immobility, cracking down on its back with enough force that the kill was quick, clean and easy, allowing the daemonic infection to spill from the now lifeless husk. 

Which encouraged her to move back to Aloy, hearing her take on another Longlegs that had appeared when the tower went limp, fizzling softly with blue wires now snaking up it. Ah, much better than the terrifying visage it had been before, she would have outright destroyed it instead but she wouldn’t deny that the shock had come in a rather timely manner, preventing the scrapper from digging its mitts or maw into her rear. 

Aloy dispatched the Longlegs easy enough, getting knocked back from three arrows busting the concussion sack on its chest but that now meant she was prone for the other scrapper who shook off the shock and was going to pounce on her before she could move. Ersa wouldn’t get there in time, she was still too far away and she was quite possibly about to watch her companion get mauled before she could kill it. Aloy seemed to get this too, fumbling for her spear and readying herself just as it pounced and-

Was promptly tackled away from Aloy by a late and extremely pissed Mittens. It was yowling, angry and livid at the smaller machine that had dared tried to pounce on its mother while it wasn’t there to protect her from stray machines that seemed to have a vendetta against redheads, or humans in general. The scrapper didn’t stand a chance as its teeth sunk into its neck, savagely ripping out wiring and unheeding of the potential corruption in its desire to defend Aloy from something worse than a simple bruised tailbone.

Ersa helped Aloy to her feet, watching in awe as Mittens was seemingly immune to the daemon’s work, thankfully not having been there when the tower was up and running against them. It proudly tore the scrapper into a broken mess of shards and wiring, prancing over to them despite Naltuk’s distant worried shout and bunted into Aloy, causing her to stumble into Ersa’s side and immediately demanded affection.    
  
Of course, Ersa scanned it and the only thing she got was, “WORRIED :(“ from it which pretty much summed up how she felt about seeing Aloy prone and not in the best of positions to defend herself from an angry scrapper. She chuckled, heaving a sigh of relief and making sure to praise Mittens for a good job in getting to Aloy in time which got her a pleased rumble in response. 

Aloy led the way back up to Naltuk who was now standing upright, not recoiling from the painted sawtooth who immediately decided that he needed to be investigated. Instead, he allowed Mittens to snuffle and snort at him, push him around a bit while Aloy and Ersa watched on, waiting to see what it would decide about their new… ally? He might as well be, he was working against the corruption and so were they, something something enemy of their enemy being a friend. 

Mittens decided Naltuk was worthy and sat at his feet, watching him with placid blue eyes and still rumbling from when he got praise from Ersa. “Amazing.” He said, in absolute awe of the machine before him, seemingly infused with blue light and obviously a treasured companion of the two outlanders before him. “It’s… tame?”

Aloy explained that she had called on him to help her with something, unaware that him being a defect meant that he was separated from the Cauldron that made him. “I, ah, think when we were done, instead of going back to its herd, it chose to keep following us. It doesn’t hurt people unless we say they’re enemies.” She had a small smile on her face as Naltuk listened to her and then to Mittens insistent demand to have its new friend’s hand on its head. 

“Truly? You can command the machines?” He paused, looking thoughtful as Mittens was pleased as an oseram with fresh scrap by his side. “I think… I think you two, er perhaps Aloy more, are people that Ourea needs to meet. No offense.” He held up his hand in an attempt to pacify an ire he’d get from Ersa. 

“None taken.” Really, Ersa was fine. This was Aloy’s mission and she was here for backup mostly, she was the one who could control machines and get to the bottom of things faster than most people could. “Will you tell us where she is though?”

He did, he told them that she was at the end of the Shaman’s Path in the Icerasps, or at the very least, heading there to go further up the mountain, to a place where only she could go. “What she needs is hope, we all do and I think you might just be the person who could help her.” Again, he was talking to Aloy and Ersa felt a swell of pride in her chest at how wonderfully Aloy was doing, inspiring and instilling in people that not all hope was lost. She was extremely good at that, by the sun, she was the brightest spark that had ever existed and people were drawn to her. 

“And please, would you tell her- tell Ourea- that I have faith she will hear the Spirit’s voice again?” Naltuk moved away from them, disengaging himself from the conversation so they could move on with their mission but not without a friendly touch to Mittens’ head to soothe the pouting sawtooth. 

“Of course, we’ll give her some time to try and, er, consult the spirit.” Aloy held out her hand for Mittens’ to place itself under, further cementing the image of her as a machine tamer to the would be shaman. “If we see any more towers, we’ll take them out.” And with that, she turned on her heel and started walking away, Mittens on her heels and Ersa clapped Naltuk on the back in a friendly manner, startling him a little but thankfully, he just gave her an unsure smile before she followed her redhead back to the path and past the overridden control tower.

“Off to Deep Din?” Ersa asked quietly, pulling out her ear covers to try and dampen the awful whining that had crept up on her. She always had a bad flare up after fighting Longlegs and while she had hid it well with Naltuk watching, she had almost turned tail from the aforementioned machine instead of stealth killing it. Thank the Sun or the Forge, whatever she could thank for the fact that there had been minimal sound from either beast.

Aloy gave her a soft look as she covered her ears, blocking out the rest of the sounds with a heavy sigh of relief. She shook her head then jerked it over to what looked like a good spot to camp out near enough to Song’s Edge that they could get there in a hurry but far enough away that it’d be relatively peaceful for them. Plus, Mittens would patrol the area, keeping them protected while they rested for the night so they wouldn’t have to be out after a fight and they could be protected during the coldest time of day.

Ersa happily followed Aloy away, even managing to snag a few rabbits for them to cook up before bedtime, grateful for the exercise and for the day finally, finally coming to a close after the whirlwind it had been. 

Deep Din could wait one more night, then they could go find the metal bird part that Aloy needed to bring to Kamut. Then, and only then, would they be able to explore more and hopefully talk to Ourea within the week. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deep Din, Snapmaws, Greycatch, oh my!

Which, of course, meant their plans had almost immediately been derailed as soon as they started. 

“I’m not lost!” Aloy insisted, consulting the map in her hands. “The map got us to Song’s Edge, it should be able to get us to Deep Din!” She angrily glared at the map then at Ersa, who had a grin on her face at being right, when they approached the flooded area surrounded by daemonic snapmaws. “Shut  _ up _ .” Now she shoved the map at Ersa’s face, making the oseram cackle madly and Mittens perk up when its mothers made a lot of noise.

“I didn’t  _ say _ anything.” Ersa followed behind Aloy, keeping her pace measure so as to not disturb the area more than she already had too. Snapmaws weren’t too harsh on their own, but three? Daemonic snapmaws at that? No thanks, Ersa wanted to live long enough to drain out the place first and maybe get some higher ground, easier to deal with the snapmaws surrounding what used to be Deep Din. 

She and Aloy studied them for a minute, Mittens scurrying away so as to not attract attention from the infected machines while staying nearby enough that if they needed it, they could get it. The snapmaws themselves were sort of… hanging out in and around the water, making it a perfectly acceptable option to leave them alone and move on to follow the river towards the source of the flood. But that left the option of Laulai possibly being mauled on her way in  _ should _ they discover a way to drain Deep Din for her to come back to. 

“What d’ya think?” Ersa murmured, wincing at the idea of a possible fight between them and three snapmaws that were hardier, tougher, and stronger in general because of the purple infection that coursed through them. “Take ‘em out or avoid ‘em, hope Laulai doesn’t come near?”

Aloy made a small pitched noise, tilting her head side to side as if she were weighing the options. “Laulai could probably slip past them… if we drain the basin we can get a height advantage and prevent them rushing us.” It could work, Ersa could borrow a bow from Aloy that she usually stowed with Mittens if they were travelling together. “It would also give Mittens room to run in and distract one of them.”

“Just have to slather him in freeze rime.” 

“Yeah, well, I think that’s our best option. We’ve gotta hope that Laulai will play it smart or at the very least, get lucky enough she doesn’t have to deal with the snapmaws.” As tricky as a situation it was, that really was the best way to deal with all of this. They had to get the advantage ripped out from under the snapmaws and gain the upper hand, it’d be even better if they could split the small pack up into dealing with one, or even two, at a time.

“Up the river then?”

Aloy nodded, the two of them backing away from the roaming snapmaws and heading towards the banks of the river that was free and flowing, moving ice shelves along to wherever it spilled out. They gathered Mittens from its hiding spot and sort of… stopped to watch it rolling around in a fresh snowback, on its back with its black paws sticking almost straight up. Its blue eyes locked on them and it gave a silly wiggle in its spot before rolling and popping up to its feet, shaking off the snow it had accumulated to trot over towards them. 

“I didn’t think machines could play.” Aloy presented her hand and winced as cold metal touched her skin but Mittens just blinked and pushed further for more pets. “No, you’re too  _ cold. _ No, don’t whine at me-” 

Ersa chuckled as they started following the river further up while Aloy bickered at Mittens who was disgruntled that it couldn’t cozy up to Aloy. “Well, you didn’t think machines like to be touched or to snuggle either, but well, look at your son.” 

“I am not its mother!” Aloy protested that and really, Ersa had to laugh because having Mittens around sometimes felt like full time motherhood but at least it didn’t need as much care and attention as a human child. Then again, anytime it seemed to show a sort of profound emotion, she wondered, what  _ did _ it feel?

What did any of the machines feel? Did they feel pain as the corruption ate them away? Did they feel anything at all when being hunted, or was it more of a preservation instinct that everything in their world seemed to share? Ersa wondered if the machines felt anger or sadness. If they did, what really separated them from being human? Mittens was a special case, even before the Derangement, machines weren’t playful or protective like it was, but that didn’t mean they weren’t peaceful with humans. 

“Fucking great, now I’ve got an existential crisis, thanks.” Ersa muttered to Mittens, its bright blue eyes pinning her with a look before it nudged into her side. “Aloy says you’re all based on animals, wonder what you were based on. Had’ta been ferocious.” Next, she wondered about thunderjaws and stormbirds, then watchers and scrappers, machines of all types and sizes really, what creatures did they draw inspiration from? 

How did the cauldrons  _ work _ ? 

“Ersa! Hey! Ersa!” Aloy’s fingers snapped in front of her face followed by that hand slapping at her cheeks and forcing her out of her daydream. “What’s wrong with you? You spaced out.” Her anger was displaced by the concern that shone through on her face. She was ready for a fight still if the need arose, eyes shifting about for any possible danger that may be present while she got Ersa back in line. 

She grunted. “I’m fine. Just thinking too damn much; rather be fighting.” Now was not the time to suddenly wonder why the world worked the way it did, she had other things to worry about. Ersa had to help keep Aloy safe, the kid had big things to do and plenty of life left to live and she was damn set on ensuring that she got through this dangerous adventure in one piece. Not that she intended to die here, just Aloy’s safety had to be her priority. 

Afterall, that’s why she had asked her to come, right?

Aloy didn’t exactly seem happy with that answer but she didn’t dwell on it, and the three of them proceeded towards the source of the water that was currently flooding the river and Deep Din. Neither of them really had any idea of what to expect, but to see an old one's structure towering higher than just about anything they'd seen before, holding back gallons upon gallons of water on one side and more gushing in a torrential outpour into the river that led to Deep Din. They were still, in awe of what was before them, they'd seen dams before, both of them, but never one quite of this size. 

"Wow." Aloy said breathlessly, gawking up at the tall structure. "What was this place used for?" She wondered aloud, glancing over at Ersa who was similarly shell shocked. They stood together, looking at the monument to the ones who came before them in pure awe, feeling relatively small against the bastion of the old world. 

It wasn’t often that Ersa was taken aback, but this was the first time seeing something of this scale before her. It was fucking  _ impressive _ , but it also worried her. Whatever was flooding Laulai’s home was through here. How did they get into the place to find out what went wrong? How would they even be able to fix it?

Mittens prowled forward onto a walkway nearby, pawing at the ground next to someone's campsite that was not too far from the edge of the rushing water. “Well. That was easy enough.” Ersa followed the small sawtooth, Aloy hot on her heels until they got to where Mittens was snuffling around to find an extremely old and rusted door blown open by an explosion that had damn near rocked the entire structure off of its roots. 

“Sorry buddy.” Aloy gave Mittens a few soft pats on its head, getting a steady look from their sawtooth that seemed to convey remorse. “You stay guard out here, Ersa and I’ll head in and see what we can make of it inside.” It took its order seriously, promptly turning around to start making patrols around the area, they waited for it to make a complete loop before ducking inside and crawling forward to get on with trying to figure out why this place was working. 

A short climb up and a few scans around the room led to them finding a heat signature belonging to the man who had started this whole debacle. “Place your bets.” Aloy said sarcastically as she headed towards the door that would lead to the staircase down to the rushing water below. 

“Gotta be an Oseram Delver.” Ersa snickered. She knew her tribe, she knew that a few of the delvers got a little, ah, carried away when exploring ruins and such. Most of them were decent people: a few who unfortunately crossed lines like Olin for good reasons, and many who crossed lines for  _ no  _ reason other than to suit their own greed. “Nobody fucks things up on accident quite like they do.” She was sure in her assessment, almost outright cackling when Aloy didn’t disagree with her.

Ersa felt another thrill of vindication shoot through her when they opened the door and the man behind it, yelling and sheepishly saying he’d gotten stuck, finally fell through, revealing that it had definitely been an Oseram Delver behind this debacle. Of course, that was mixed with the overwhelming desire to smack him upside the head for causing such a mess in the first place, but that was waylaid when she saw the quiet and amused disbelief on Aloy’s face at his antics. It was nice to see her oddly delighted by Gildun, and even agreeing to be his sidekick to help drain the dam.

“Ah! Wonderful!  _ Two _ sets of hands!” He beamed when he noticed Ersa watching him. “And simply because my curiosity never ceases, what brought you here?” Gildun directed the question towards her, his excitement for the delve not having gone away in the slightest, despite his setback of reopening the dam and getting trapped behind a door he had no way of opening. 

She wasn’t gonna lie, it was refreshing being around someone so boisterous again, mainly because it kind of reminded her of her brother. “Well, you know us Oseram can’t help but follow the spark of adventure.” Ersa grinned relentlessly, gesturing to Aloy who suddenly looked like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was now, likely stuck between the two of them with Ersa’s puns about her hair and Gildun’s apparent recklessness. “Besides, I gotta keep her from getting into trouble she can’t handle alone.” She jerked a thumb towards Aloy, getting an eye roll this time at her statement.

“Oh ho! Adventuring with someone can turn a great delve into the perfect one!” Gildun threw his head back when he laughed, seemingly genuinely delighted by the turn of events even if the start of them had been rather… unfortunate.

Getting through the dam hadn’t been too hard in all honesty. Aloy was the spry one, climbing and leaping from hand hold to hand hold to get the to other turn wheel for the… sluice gate was it? The actual name of the contraption didn’t bother her as much as it did seeing her somewhat sister almost tumble ass over tea kettle into the rapids below, making her grip the rusted over railing in fear and shout at her to be careful while Gildun delighted in her spryness.

When they crossed over the second gate, before they’d descend down to deal with the daemonic snapmaw that had undoubtedly been drawn here because of all the water, Ersa smacked the back of Aloy’s head. When Aloy winced and questioned it, “Stop trying to kill me,” was her explanation. 

Aloy rolled her eyes. “Didn’t take last time, don’t think it would now.” 

“Ha ha.” Ersa ignored Gildun as he cowered away from the snapmaws firing distance, shouting about the  _ very big machine _ as if she or Aloy couldn’t see it perfectly well from where they were. “What do you think?” They did have to kill the snapmaw in all honesty and while one in an enclosed space was usually bad, Aloy did have fire arrows at her disposal and Ersa could just… go down and smack it several times. 

Aloy came to a similar conclusion. “Let me get a bead on it from up here, then you go down and keep it out of the water.” Easy enough, playing bait wasn’t a bad strategy when she had an Expert Huntress as her partner so they could make short work of the singular, infected snapmaw. Aloy chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment, delaying their inevitable fight. “Just be careful, please?” Her voice was much softer than she’d ever admit to it being. “I didn’t ask you to come with me just to get you killed up here.”

Pushing aside her normal playfulness, Ersa gently knocked Aloy’s shoulder with her own. “Always am, kiddo.” The look she got called her out on her less than stellar tendency of getting into trouble but she was serious, she usually didn’t run headlong into fights unless she was sure she could get  _ out _ of them at the same time. 

Okay there were a  _ few _ times she got her ass handed to her in a fight but she couldn't win them all. 

Ersa readied her hammer, leaning on the railing to get the snapmaw's attention with her noisiness and shrill whistle while Aloy knocked three precision arrows to her bow. She lined them up quickly once the machine had its head upwards to investigate the sound and in doing so, it was exposing the chillwater sack on its gullet for Aloy to shoot. 

When the arrows flung free from her bow, Ersa turned to hurry down the stairs. If she was lucky, Aloy's aim would have burst the sack underneath its neck, freezing the snapmaw long enough for her to get down there and cause some decent damage. The daemonic machines were tougher than normal, that much they knew but without one of the control towers around, this one shouldn’t be harder than normal to take out.

And it really wasn't, Ersa was able to keep its attention, smacking it hard with her weapon whenever Aloy got it lit up. Her earlier attack to take out the chillwater sack had been successful, freezing it and making it so Ersa could cripple its tail, reducing it to lunge attacks and weak ice spurts since its main reserve was gone. Aloy got the final blow from the landing above her, two hardpoint arrows right through its back and into some important circuitry caused the life in it to fade away and the daemonic infection to spill from its body before dissipating into nothing.

"I'm gonna look in its mouth!" She called up after it fully sunk in that the snapmaw was dead a lot quicker than they had anticipated. Aloy gave an affirmative noise as she started her descent to the level Ersa was on. Gildun was… making terrified noises, unable to watch Ersa pry open a dead snapmaw’s mouth for a ring  _ he _ lost in the first place. 

She just snorted at his cowardice, poor guy definitely shouldn’t be roaming around bodies of water anytime soon if he was that afraid of what lurked around them. “You’d think he’d come across only snapmaws.” Ersa said when Aloy came over to peer into the mouth of the beast while Ersa kept its jaw pried apart with a pleasant burn in her muscles. Machines were heavy and it took a lot to do this, but she was tougher than just about anything and she certainly wasn’t a quitter.

So, she held the jaw open until Aloy popped back with a successful crowing noise about finding the part. 

After that, things seemed to go by fast enough. Aloy found something in the back room that drained out the rest of the dam and when Gildun exclaimed that the dampened metal smelled like a forgeside morning in the Claim, she surprised her redheaded friend by agreeing with him. Knowing her, Aloy probably had thought he was just telling a story again and even seemed a little concerned about it but wasn’t brave enough to continue that line of conversation.

Up top and after Gildun was allowed to drain the dam, he slapped Aloy’s back excitedly, “By the  _ Forge! _ You are a wonder!” which of course startled her and caused Aloy to stumble forward while Ersa cackled madly over her companions antics. "I'm sure with all the adventuring you do, you must hear that a lot!"

"Ah, once or… twice." Aloy was blushing now but she looked happy, forge knew that the girl didn't get nearly enough praise. 

Gildun was undeterred. "Oh ho! Now she wants to be modest! A master of the Old Ones and the best damn delver I've ever met!" He was still grinning like a lunatic, looking at the monitor flashing green and much quieter now that the dam was drained with that exuberance they’d both come to identify as a part of him. 

Aloy convinced him that he needed to keep going despite the disappointment of not finding the mirror, he was good for the adventure if he kept his head about him. "I could always look into finding a looking glass with some contacts." Ersa whispered to Aloy, the two of them out of earshot of Gildun now and climbing down so they could leave Greycatch and reunite with Mittens outside. "It shouldn't be too hard and if he stays in the Cut, it'll be  _ really _ easy to find him." She made a joke about how next time, they'd follow the inevitable flood that would follow his explorations, maybe even see one of the infamous towering structures he raved about. 

Mittens nearly bowled them over when they were back in its line of sight, whirring and buzzing noises at them meaning that it most likely had a new display message for them. Aloy scanned it first, snorting to herself which definitely got Ersa's curiosity piqued for whatever it had decided that it needed to say to them. So, she followed suit, activating her focus and a message popped up saying, "BACK :D" with that same odd glyph that somehow resembled a person's smile. 

"Aww, Mittens missed us." Ersa cooed, scratching at the sawtooth metal head and getting a purr-like response. "Missed ya too, buddy." 

"It seems like draining the dam has already done some good." Aloy kept her hand on Mittens neck, watching how the river already looked lower than before. "And from the sounds of it, Laulai's already back at it." She seemed rather neutral about the whole thing if you didn't know Aloy but Ersa knew her well enough to know the pleased quirk of her lips and the sparkle in her eye at a job well done. "Gotta take care of those snapmaws now." 

Which wasn't a difficult job honestly. Tougher than normal, but nothing too horrific or anything. A few Banuk hunters had even been wandering by and chipped in, brushing off their thanks but seemingly pleased enough by the good fight that it didn't dampen hers or Aloy's spirits really. Hell, they were more excited over how well their plan had gone and that the decision to wait had been the right one. "I'd certainly say we're getting better at handling these things." 

"You mean  _ you  _ are getting better at these things. What is it, vanguard to machine hunter?" Aloy teased her, patting Mittens on its flank to get it to do a loop of the area while they descended into Deep Din. "I swear, someday you might catch up to how many machines I've killed." 

"I'm  _ twice _ your age, girl."

"Twice as slow too!" 

Ersa kicked at Aloy for that, laughing and somehow added more depth and warmth to Laulai's clanging tones from deeper within the overflow basin. “You’re such a little shit, kiddo.” Once they were down the ladder, she was in arms reach of her companion and smacked Aloy affectionately on the back, causing her to stumble forth much like she did when Gildun did the same thing earlier. Again, Aloy recovered but this time with a delighted grin on her face and she tried smacking Ersa on the back like that.

It didn’t have the same effect, but Ersa still wrapped her arm around Aloy’s shoulders and mussed up her hair, getting an indignant squawk in return. Their joy still adding a new tone to Laulai’s own joy at being back in her home, something she profusely thanked them for when they finally stopped messing around and got to talk to her. She gave them a gift and some bluegleam each, eagerly turning away to wonder what she could play next with the warm sounds of wet metal while she still could. 

Ersa and Aloy left Deep Din, feeling a little lighter after the whole mission being relatively low risk and grinning when they found Mittens zooming around in the snow, making a fool of itself by pouncing snow mounds and wiggling around on its back, paws straight up all over again. A scan only said, “HAPPY :3” which pretty much summed up how they felt as they left it to its own devices to make camp for the night in a nearby campsite that had once been a refuge to previous wanderers. 

The next step was to hold for the night, then gather more resources the next day and make their way to the Icerasps, they’d given Ourea time to talk to this dormant spirit. Now, it was time to make good on their promise to Naltuk and find her, bring hope back to his shaman mentor and potentially stop the spread of the Daemon.

All in all, just another day of saving the world for Aloy, machine hunter but this time, at least she had someone by her side to keep her company.

  
  



End file.
